Pubdate: Thu, 05 Oct 2006
Source: Republican, The (Springfield, MA)
Copyright: 2006 The Republican
Contact:  http://www.masslive.com/republican/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3075

GRANT BOLSTERS DRUG TREATMENT

SPRINGFIELD - The Phoenix Houses of New England will  receive $1.1 
million in grant money to provide mobile  treatment services to 
juvenile offenders and their  families in the Hampden County Juvenile 
Drug Court.

The grant, awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental  Health 
Administration during the next three years, will  strengthen the 
partnership between Phoenix House and  the Juvenile Drug Court.

"It is difficult for many working parents to be as  involved in their 
child's treatment as they need to  be," Susan O'Connor, lead case 
coordinator for the  Hampden County Drug Court, said. "This model 
treatment  program brings the treatment to them, and addresses the 
needs of the adolescent and the family, both  individually and as a unit."

The mobile treatment model will allow the Phoenix House  and the 
Juvenile Drug Court to extend treatment  services from Springfield 
and Holyoke to suburban  areas, including Palmer and Westfield.

O'Connor said treatment can be adapted to parents' work  schedules 
and it has had a record of success in other  urban and rural communities.

O'Connor said the collaboration with juvenile court  probation 
officers and trial court staff, under the  guidance of Judge Rebekah 
J. Crampton-Kamukala, has  contributed to the success of the program.

The grant includes funding for outcome evaluation by  Brandeis 
University's Schneider Center for Behavioral  Health.

Phoenix Houses of New England - originally called  Marathon House - 
was founded in 1967 by a coalition of  social service professionals, 
clergy, business and  political leaders in Providence, R.I.

Phoenix House treats 2,500 adults and teenagers through  30 programs 
in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire,  Rhode Island and Vermont.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine