Chairman's Letter

Odyssey House began treating people with addictions in 1967. Since then we have helped more than 30,000 men, women, and children achieve sobriety and dignified lives.

We now have 900 treatment slots, of which 770 are residential beds and apartments, and employ a staff of 300 at eight locations. A senior management team, headed by Dr. Peter Provet, our President and Chief Executive Officer, is working with the Board of Trustees to ensure that Odyssey House continues its goal of increasing community access to rehabilitative services and expanding its programming to meet the needs of a wide cross-section of substance abusers including single adults, adolescents, mothers with children, the mentally ill, and the elderly.

These priorities follow a strategic plan developed by the Board in concert with the management team, which places emphasis on Odyssey House’s growth as a provider of quality, cost-effective care for the broadest range of drug abusing populations.

As we move forward, we strive for greater efficiency in order to make sure that our funders are getting their money’s worth. Among the issues we are addressing are the new demands that will be made upon our facilities if the courts pursue an important trend to stress treatment rather than incarceration for low-level drug offenders. We also continue to look closely at employee issues. Quite simply, we want to be the employer of choice—to retain our staff and to continue to attract the best in the field. With this goal in mind we continually seek to ensure that our wages and benefits are competitive, while we develop enhancements such as a commitment to continuing education and in-house recognition programs.

We have reconstituted our research department. Included in its mandate is the collation of data on a range of treatment indicators derived from on-site clinical assessments. The data gathered includes how long residents stay in treatment, and their completion of educational, social, and vocational goals, response to medical care and attainment of abstinence. These data, which are also made available to outside researchers and auditors, promote Odyssey House as an innovator in research, help us provide appropriate clinical services, and support our solicitation efforts directed at new funding sources.

This commitment to research grows out of a rich tradition that firmly places Odyssey House in the forefront of treatment advancement. For 35 years, thousands of families have turned to Odyssey House for help when a loved one’s life is in danger from drug abuse. Others find their way to us from homeless shelters and drug courts. However they reach us, every man, women, and child in our care receives the same high standard of treatment.

No one is turned away from Odyssey House because of an inability to pay. For this we are grateful to our partners in government who provide the majority of our funds, and our friends in the private sector whose generous gifts help us extend and enhance our services.

I also wish to extend my ongoing gratitude to my fellow board members, and to join everyone at Odyssey House in mourning the loss of Dr. Essie Lee, who served as an active board member for more than 15 years. We miss her wisdom and dedication to the Odyssey House mission. Attracting new members to our governing organizations is a special priority, and we are pleased to welcome Richard O’Connor and Hugh Jones to the House and Foundation boards, and Deborah Hurley to the Foundation board.

George Rosenfeld
Board Chairman