So here is my success story. I’m going to start a little bit before I got into West Sound Treatment Center. While still in active addiction, I was very abusive to my ex. To be completely honest, I tried to kill her. I got arrested, went to jail, and was looking at prison time. I…
Tag: Community
Would You Recognize an Overdose?
The Key Competencies of the COO: Part 2
In Part One, we learned that lived experience has given Heather a lot of perspective in her role as the Chief Operations Officer. But what about work experience? “All the positions I’ve held in treatment facilities taught me important lessons,” Heather says. Her work experience in the field began after going to treatment and peer…
The Key Competencies of the COO: Part 1
Congratulations, Heather, in your new role! The Chief Operations Officer of any organization carries a great deal of responsibility. In a nonprofit that provides essential behavioral health services to a vulnerable population of adults, the burden is even heavier. Heather Hickey recently accepted this position at WSTC, signing on to keep operations running smoothly, support…
What Is Harm Reduction?
Michelle Vargo: Peer Recovery Coach for the REAL Program at WSTC
The Recovery Empowerment Advocacy and Linkage Program is still in its infancy stages, but the REAL Team members — Program Manager Keyera Gaulden and Peer Recovery Coaches Michelle Vargo and Lindsay Devitt — are serious about their mission to help at-risk and underserved people to access supportive and public health services. They have visited the…
Toy Drive a Success Thanks to Generous Donors!
During early stages of recovery and treatment, it can be difficult or impossible for clients to hold a fulltime job, and that can mean lean Christmases and birthdays for their children. WSTC tries to do a toy drive each year to make their holidays brighter, and this year, even though we got started a bit…
What Purpose Do Collateral Consequences Serve?
Do you remember learning about consequences as a kid? A parent or teacher may have warned you about what might happen if you didn’t stop a behavior or action. Maybe you did stop and avoided the dire prediction. Maybe you didn’t, and the lesson about consequences got a lot more real. Punishing Bad Behavior Without…
Home Depot Donates to O’Hana House
We announced a while back that the Home Depot Foundation was donating some closet organizers and cabinets for our O’Hana House. And now they’ve arrived! This is a big deal for the women and children who live there. While we have made the bedrooms of this sober living home nice — including a number of…
Shopping To Fight Addiction
Many retailers donate to nonprofits based on their customers’ preferences. You may have heard of the Amazon Smile program, which donates 0.5% of the amount of your purchase to the charity of your choice? Well, Fred Meyer has a similar program! If you’ve signed up online and you have a rewards card, you can go…