“Promoting well-being … One individual … One family … One community at a time,” is the mission statement of the Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck Community Services Board.
The team at the CSB’s 84 East Peer Recovery Center works hard every day to put those words into action, offering support for individuals struggling with mental illness and substance abuse.
84 East Peer and the MPNN Community Services Board have been implementing a number of innovative programs to reach those most in need.
One such innovation is Recovery Connections, created by Program Coordinator Rebecca Graser, MSW. Recovery Connections is implemented in outreach programs and at the center with a Recovery Connections support group which meets every Thursday at 10 a.m.
Recovery Connections, like the name implies, focuses on reconnecting persons with addiction to what they loved before addiction took over their lives. This stems from the belief that the opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety but rather connection. By reconnecting to their old lives, those struggling with addiction can once again live healthy lives.
Services offered by MPNN CSB range from support groups to intensive outpatient and residential programs. These services are offered for those who are in direct need of services, as well as support and education for family members.
Resource Coordinator Pamela Mullins said they do a lot of work with the National Alliance for Mental Illness to provide educational resources. Mullins said they teach individuals proper coping skills to help them manage their mental illnesses and traumas. Also with NAMI, 84 East attends health fairs and other events to better reach the community.
Being a peer recovery center means that those who work at 84 East are people who have experienced trials of their own, whether it be mental illness, substance abuse or other events that led them to a low point in their lives.
Mullins said CSB changed her own life when she was in the shoes of those she now helps. By sharing her story, she lets those in recovery know that they aren’t alone and there is hope for the future.
Mullins said the center has other resources such as job listings and those at the center can assist clients in preparing for the hiring process. She said she provides transportation on the first Wednesday of every month to Newington Baptist Church’s Clothes Closet to find clean clothes for interviews.
One program the MPNNCSB has at 84 East is the Post Overdose Response Team. Certified Peer Recovery Specialist Amalia Morrissey leads PORT which is an outreach service that is run by those who have lived with substance abuse and mental illness. They lead support groups at the center and work with community outreach.
An example of PORT’s outreach programs are the visits the team makes to local jails. There, they use the Recovery Connections curriculum. Working with local sheriff’s office team members, they visit with those incarcerated to help prepare them to reenter society.
At the center, when new people come in, they’re welcomed by staff who can provide information on what resources may be helpful, said Mullins. Those at the center will explain which groups meet there and invite new visitors to attend.
84 East Peer Recovery Center houses a number of support groups that meet regularly. These meetings include All-Recovery, Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families, Women’s Empowerment, and Veteran Only groups. A number of classes from coping skills to foreign language courses are also offered at the center for free.
To learn more about 84 East’s programs, resources and services call 804-210-1619 or visit the center located at 7603 Hospital Drive, Gloucester. The center is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those in need of urgent assistance can call the crisis hotline at 1-800-542-2673.
The Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck Community Service Board, led by Executive Director Linda Hodges, is one of a statewide network of 40 CSBs working to provide mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse services in the community. The geographic reach of the MPNNCSB is the largest in the state, serving all 10 counties of the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck.
