From Becker’s Behavioral Health: Recovery Centers of America’s Monroeville, Pa., site has made recovery housing a central part of its growth strategy, aiming to stabilize patients during the critical transition from residential treatment back into daily life.
David Blenk, CEO of RCA at Monroeville, told Becker’s the initiative reflects a broader effort to extend recovery support beyond traditional treatment programs and address the early stages of relapse risk.
“We are now looking at how we are balancing the co-occurring disorders, and looking very closely at people that are here because of the substance use disorder and mental health issues they’re struggling with, and how we properly treat both of them,” he said.
Monroeville was the first new site in Recovery Centers of America’s footprint to offer recovery living as part of the organization’s expansion strategy. It has a recovery living unit with 10 to 15 residents on any given day.
“It really comes from some of the ideas of Housing First,” Mr. Blenk said, referring to an approach that prioritizes arranging permanent housing for individuals who need basic necessities before managing substance use issues. “If you don’t have a stable platform to work from, it’s very hard to continue participation in a recovery program, including an outpatient program.”
RCA’s program is designed to support patients during what is often the highest-risk period after treatment.
“The most dangerous time for somebody leaving treatment is that first 30 days when they’re out,” Mr. Blenk said. “Tolerances might be down to the substances that they were using, and they’re returning to the environments that they came from with the same people, places and things.”
Without structured support, it can be difficult for individuals to adjust.
“It’s hard to break the patterns that are there without some opportunity to practice recovery,” he said.
