Author Topic: LEESBURG Florida-- Teen Choice  (Read 1126 times)

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Offline Anonymous

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LEESBURG Florida-- Teen Choice
« on: February 04, 2004, 08:04:00 AM »
Has anyone heard of this program??

TEEN DRUG PROGRAM RESUMES -- FOR NOW
>
> Teen Choice Found Enough Money To Reopen Its Doors, But Its Future Remains
> Uncertain
>
> LEESBURG -- Teen Choice, the only residential treatment facility for
> young substance abusers in Lake and Sumter counties, has reopened
> after financial problems forced it to close last year.
>
> "I was surprised at how happy people were that we opened back up,"
> said Dave Rattray, program supervisor. "Everybody has been offering to
> help. When we finally opened and I announced it at one meeting we got
> this tremendous applause."
>
> But no one can say for sure how long the program will stay
> open.
>
> "The money we were given is not recurrent funding," said Jill Baird,
> senior vice president and chief clinical officer at LifeStream
> Behavioral Center.
>
> That's the same problem the program had last year.
>
> Teen Choice started taking clients last March using $200,000 in what
> the state called six-month nonrecurring funding. LifeStream asked for
> $400,000 from the state to keep the program going. The request was
> denied, and the program was forced to close in September.
>
> But after advocates pushed to get more money, $133,000 in state funds
> was appropriated to LifeStream to help Teen Choice. The counties
> provided the appropriate local match for the state dollars, and Teen
> Choice reopened Jan. 12.
>
> The average length of stay for patients is four to six months, Baird
> said. The program has enough money to stay afloat for at least that
> long. So, it is reaching out to as many children as it can accommodate
> and continuing to look for additional money to keep the program going.
>
> Patients are housed in a 12-bed dormitory and are schooled at the
> Leesburg campus. They participate in group counseling as well as
> one-on-one sessions, and attend support group meetings several times a
> week.
>
> The idea of the program is to treat the young addicts in a controlled
> environment so they can escape the heavy influences of their peers,
> who often are addicts, too.
>
> "For the kids we have here, there is no other choice," Rattray
> said.
>
> "Outpatient is not an option. They don't have what it takes to get
> sober in outpatient. Life just gets worse and worse. Here we focus on
> recovery all the time, and they are away from the drugs."
>
> Last year the program was open to boys and girls. This year, the
> program is only open to boys. The program reopened with the enrollment
> of three boys -- two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old.
>
> "It's so much more complicated when you have both genders together,"
> Rattray said.
>
> "It's potentially distracting."
>
> Girls who call the program for help are referred to a 20-bed facility
> in Gainesville, he said.
>
> Rattray swears by the program's success, and plans to have former
> patients come back and offer support to the new ones.
>
> "Kids are in such crisis," he said.
>
> "They can get in here and get clean."
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Therion

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LEESBURG Florida-- Teen Choice
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2004, 08:17:00 AM »
Teen choice....what an ironic name for a locked down in patient rehab.

 I do not see the 1st warning flag which is usually "Therapeutic Community"
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
aving the way for the new breed of bad seed

Offline Anonymous

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LEESBURG Florida-- Teen Choice
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2004, 03:59:00 PM »
SAVED IT SAVVED IT SAVED IT
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »