I am currently writing this entry from the comfort of my home office. That strikes me as an odd sentence to write; I never envisioned myself as the “home office” sort of fella. I am almost one month into this new career path and I think I may have finally gotten some footing so it seems like now would be a good time to reflect further on what pulled me to join the Green Hill team.
Clinical work in recovery and after-care settings is unique in that you can really feel as though you are joining a client’s family system in some capacity for a short period of time. When this happens, it is natural to feel some allegiance to the client and family that can make referring them to a different program, at least for me, an anxiety-provoking experience. But that said, I was uniquely interested in Green Hill as a referring clinician from my first meeting with their staff. It was truly exciting to make my first few referrals to them.
Almost immediately, I found my anxiety alleviated by the amount of thought and care Green Hill put into building individual “scaffolding” around each client we referred to them. The anxiety was further removed by watching those same clients begin to flourish. We loved hearing the positive feedback from the clients and their families about Green Hill.
On a personal level, I knew from my first meeting with Tripp Johnson and some of the other members of the team that we shared a lot of mutual interests. Some of these interests were podcasts, books, and contemplative practices; but the interests were also things more intrinsic. I recognized a deep interest for innovation, curiosity, and willingness to “live on the cusp of failure.”
The early interactions with Green Hill offered an opportunity for serendipitous conversations with Tripp and others at Green Hill that continue to this day. I got to watch from outside the Green Hill leadership team innovate and build clinical models with which I was deeply aligned. I have long found it curious that the substance use treatment field has such little risk tolerance when it comes to helping young adults in addiction and mental health treatment. No one arrives in our care because they are having their best moment or making the best decisions. As such, I think we as a field tend to focus entirely too much on “symptom-reduction” in the form of chasing silly power struggles. I believe this has the unfortunate effect of defocusing on helping a client truly flourish and limits the ability to help a client achieve something truly meaningful.
The clinical model at Green Hill is totally focused on helping a client achieve his respective goals and start to explore paths of deep meaning and substance. It is not simply about being sober. That part, while difficult, is doable.
The part that is really tough is figuring out how to build a life filled with passion, curiosity, and meaning. The fact that Green Hill is in downtown Raleigh, NC and surrounded by career and educational opportunities is a reflection that it is not simply about “symptom-reduction.” The clinical model is designed to help a client explore and develop his passions and curiosities that can provide a lifetime of meaning.
Leaving my former place of employment was a remarkably difficult decision for me. I loved the team that I worked with. We spent years building close relationships that were a daily source of enjoyment and laughter for me. Yet, when the opportunity to join Green Hill became an option, I could not resist. At the end of the day, there was just too much alignment and too much opportunity for personal and professional growth. I am a big believer in the significant personal growth that can happen through a developed professional culture.
Before I joined, I sensed a chance for growth at Green Hill. Now that I am on the inside, I have experienced a culture that exists all the way from clients to the leadership team, and which is focused on flourishing – personally and professionally. I am excited about all that the culture of Green Hill can bring to me, and those that we serve.
And if you couldn’t tell, my favorite co-worker is equally excited about getting into the work.
We are thrilled to announce that our CEO Tripp Johnson will be speaking at the Addiction Professionals of North Carolina’s (APNC) Fall Conference, which will be held virtually on October 13-16, 2020. Green Hill recently became an organizational member of APNC to support APNC’s mission of empowering professionals in the prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery field. This event is a great opportunity to learn more about what it’s like to lead a values-based, mission-driven organization in the substance use disorder field — register for a spot now by emailing info@apnc.org.
Tripp had this to say about his upcoming speaking slot at APNC’s fall conference: “I’m really honored that APNC asked me to speak at their upcoming conference. APNC is a terrific organization that, among other things, oversees North Carolina’s collegiate recovery programs which we frequently work with at Green Hill. The opportunity to discuss conscious leadership and what it means to lead a values-based, mission-driven organization, is something that I didn’t want to miss.”
The APNC conference will be held virtually to keep all colleagues safe and while this will be different for many, it is an example of how adaptability is one of the keys to providing quality care. Tripp’s presentation will focus on how intentionally developing a culture based on a shared set of values and a vision has allowed the organization to thrive amidst the chaos caused by Covid-19. He will share lessons learned from the early stages of Green Hill through the organization’s navigation of the pandemic. Attendees will be presented with information and resources focused on culture development, conscious leadership, and operational systemization which they can incorporate into their organizations.
To learn more about APNC, click hereand secure your spot at the fall conference by emailing info@apnc.org.
Combatting the substance use disorder epidemic through community partnerships.
8/10/2020, Raleigh, NC – Green Hill has become Addiction Professionals of North Carolina’s (APNC) newest organizational member. APNC is North Carolina’s leading professional development organization in the substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery field. As a member organization, Green Hill supports APNC’s mission of empowering professionals focused on prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery through providing education, training, and networking opportunities throughout the state.
Tripp Johnson, CEO of Green Hill, is proud to be joining APNC. “This is a tough, often thankless, line of work. Professionals in the addiction field are often overwhelmed, under resourced, and siloed. We joined APNC because we believe that community partnerships, training, and education are paramount if we want to combat the growing epidemic of mental health and substance use disorders.”
APNC represents the interests of over 16,000 addiction professionals throughout North Carolina by providing advocacy, training, and networking opportunities. Green Hill believes that in supporting APNC, it can help in the following ways.
Support a thriving community of professionals through education and training.
Advocate for legislative change to support individuals battling addiction.
Encourage innovation and collaboration in the field.
Increase access, quality, and affordability of prevention, treatment, and recovery resources.
Green Hill and APNC are dedicated to bettering the lives of North Carolinians struggling with substance use disorders. Stay tuned for an announcement about APNC’s upcoming fall conference where Green Hill’s CEO, Tripp Johnson, will be presenting.
About Green Hill: Green Hill is a nationally recognized treatment provider for young adults grappling with substance use and other co-occurring mental health disorders. Green Hill prepares clients for success beyond their days in treatment through sophisticated addiction, mental health, and executive functioning treatment; intentional community integration, experiential, and wellness offerings; and individualized academic, career, and personal growth curriculum. At its core, Green Hill empowers individuals to live with profound purpose.
About APNC: Addiction Professionals of North Carolina (APNC) empowers our prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery professionals to thrive in an evolving continuum of care.
Here’s the second installment of the Green Hill playbook for navigating COVID-19 and a recessionary economy. While our last post was sent as programs around the country were responding to a rapidly changing situation, this post is focused on embracing the ‘new normal’ – the environment in which we’re all operating. We will be addressing items according to our established framework below.
Family Communications
Policies & Procedures
Programming Changes
Family Financial Considerations
Leadership and Staff Management
Recession Planning
If you would like to see more details regarding anything you see in this post, such as our parent communications or detailed procedures, please reach out. We would also welcome any feedback or further suggestions.
Family Communications
Communication with families has pivoted from a focus on easing fears towards more of an acceptance of the ‘new normal.’ Thus, we’ve launched a weekly newsletter for our transitional living families.
Elements for an Effective Newsletter
Highlight changes to policies and procedures in response to COVID-19.
Demonstrate the importance of remaining focused on treating mental health and substance use.
Focus on the positive elements of your programming and how it’s evolved.
Reassure families that they are part of the treatment alliance.
Acknowledge anxiety surrounding public health AND the economy.
Policies & Procedures
We are continuing to build on our previous changes to our day-to-day operations and admissions procedures, while practicing strict enforcement of any COVID related policies we have adopted. We have continued to communicate ongoing changes to parents and residents and have held updated training for all staff.
Stay at home: Wake County has issued a mandatory stay at home order. We are requiring all staff to abide by the order during non-working hours and are modifying treatment plans to abide by the order. We are considered an essential business, and thus, we will remain fully operational. However, we are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and welfare of our community.
Updates to our list of procedures have been underlined.
Admissions:
Added screening questionnaire criteria for COVID 19
Quarantine policies for new residents, if necessary
Medical assessment upon arrival
Requiring new admissions to avoid flying
Operations:
Continued to update our program schedule to facilitate a wider range of active and engaging programming within Green Hill’s facilities:
In-house 12-step, Recovery Dharma, and SMART meetings
In-house workout and fitness sessions
Peer planned and facilitated activities
Outdoor experiential programming
Restricted all non-essential community activities, outings, and programming
Cancelled all non-essential resident travel
Provided further education and training to our staff and residents on social distancing practices and healthy community living procedures
Conducted early refills of all resident medication
Initiated updated academic schedules to ensure structure and support for residents transitioning to remote learning
Updated twice daily cleaning protocol
Updated staffing model for potential time away for illness
Switched community outpatient to full telehealth
Established relationship with local PCP for testing, COVID screening
Introduced grocery store pickups, with residents now ordering groceries online, and staff picking them up.
Nightly temperature checks
Program Updates
Maintaining milieu is our chief concern for residents. We have also had to practice a healthy dose of self-forgiveness, as there is no formula for how to operate within these constraints. Our main programming effort continues to be the Van Dyke Olympiad, with events being added each day. Our biggest success for the olympiad is staff engagement. This creative solution to our current predicament has allowed our clinical team to engage with residents in an entirely new and more natural way. As most of our program staff is in recovery, increased staff involvement at the house has also given a unique opportunity for our team members with more significant time in sobriety to show residents that this pandemic is difficult for everyone in recovery.
Last Week’s Highlights:
Favorite event: Spike ball tournament
Looking forward to: Iron Chef (Apocalypse Edition), Trivia
Made us laugh: Ryan coming in on his day off just to compete
We have also placed a greater emphasis on physical health and well-being by starting a peer-led workout program at the house and yoga & meditation sessions being led by Tripp. Our goal has been to provide a safe quarantine environment that is both structured and stimulating. We have also asked for the help of the local 12 step community in maintaining a connection with Green Hill. We have continued to develop a more robust in-house meeting format, bringing speakers for in-house meetings over Zoom. We are also participating in Zoom meetings with our resident’s home groups and favorite local meetings.
Financial Considerations for Families
Our strategy of proactive family communications regarding finances has helped us to protect our revenue and keep our clients engaged in the program. While we had no formal financial communications in the last week, we have had a number of calls with parents to discuss their updated financial situations. We can say we would have had 2-3 clients leave almost overnight if we were not willing to provide financial support to families.
While we have done a great job of working with existing clients and families, we are worried that extended care options will be less appealing simply due to financial uncertainty. Our next goal is to more proactively communicate this information to incoming admissions and potential clients. Green Hill has scholarships available, and we would hate for motivated candidates for extended care to head home after primary treatment simply because of finances. We are a purpose driven organization, and we believe extended care is even more important in this environment. We would urge other programs to make necessary accommodations in an effort to prove to the world that we will always put quality care above financial motivations.
Leadership: Combatting Fatigue
We continue to place an emphasis on combating the mental fatigue associated with our current circumstances. The 15 minute daily pulse calls for the leadership team have been vital in keeping the team focused and motivated, but also as a barometer for our collective wellness. On the first few calls this week, it was clear that fatigue was setting in. These calls give us an opportunity as owners to hear our people and figure out which members of our leadership team are running out of gas and need some extra recognition or attention.
The Green Hill leadership team has a dedicated ‘war room’ where Tripp is working around the clock. These uncertain times have an impact on our residents, their families, and our staff. To combat the quarantine fatigue, our leadership team has developed a check-in roster to ensure that our team is functioning at 100%.
Dedicated space and staff to monitoring and adapting to COVID-19 news
Updating our team on best practices on a daily basis
Embracing our core value of ‘unity’ during trying times
Continuing 15 minute daily pulse calls
Continuing the use of our weekly check in trees
Recession Planning
SBA / Federal Aid: We have spent a significant amount of time this week on the phone with bankers and accountants trying to make sense of the support offered by the SBA. The main applicable offering is the SBA Payroll Protection Program (PPP). While the details of this program have yet to be finalized, and rollout may be slow, we are in the process of finishing our application. We were recommended by our banker to ‘get in the queue,’ even if we didn’t need the funds right away. At Green Hill, our staff is our biggest asset, and having the means to retain them is vital. This will also simultaneously show our staff that we are committed to keeping them, and their jobs are not in jeopardy. The PPP program gives low interest loans for payroll and rent, and includes forgiveness for payroll taxes. The plan allows businesses to receive 2.5x monthly payroll, but as we said, the details keep changing.
Not out of the woods: The Federal Reserve and Congress have started to implement the largest ‘bailout’ package in the history of the nation. In the face of a national credit crunch, the Federal Reserve issued a sweeping implicit guarantee for bond markets, while Congress gave much needed aid to small businesses and citizens. These measures calmed markets, and brought peace of mind to the nation, but we are by no means through the worst of this in an economic sense. We are continuing to monitor our financial situation and planning for the worst. We are urging program directors and owners to continue to proceed with caution, and use this time to prepare their business for a recessionary environment.
Just to reiterate, please contact us if you would wish any more detail regarding any of the topics we covered above. Acting quickly in this environment and staying collaborative may save us all.
