By Gary Harmon, Ph.D.
Vice President, Director of Research & Grants
As the substance use disorder field continues to evolve and
move closer to a medical model, Odyssey House is poised to remain a
leader. The ability of the agency to
retain the essential elements of treatment from its roots over 45 years ago,
combined with cutting-edge and new research-supported treatment, has led to a
model that we know works.
Personally, I take great satisfaction in the quality of the
services we provide and the excellent treatment outcomes that are
produced. Since my role often involves
viewing our clients, programs, and services as data on a computer screen, I
always make sure to remember that every number represents a person; someone who
came to Odyssey House in need of help; someone with a dream or hope of a better
life. Keeping that important principle
in mind helps to ensure that I never stop asking that very important
question: “How do we know what we do
works?”
Entering into the substance use disorder field six years
ago, I was eager to apply my background in public health to one of the greatest
problems facing our society. I have
worked with disadvantaged and disenfranchised populations for my entire career
but this field presented an entirely new set of challenges and barriers. It was clear from the start that our clients and
residents were not only battling with drugs and alcohol, but most were also
beset with poverty, trauma, mental illness and homelessness. One of the reasons that I was attracted to
Odyssey House was the organization’s approach to research and data. Employing a full-time director of research
and grants signaled to me that the agency had a value for exploring what was
most effective for our clients and residents.
At that time, the agency had begun to implement several Evidence-Based
Practices (EBPs), and was participating in a National Institute on Drug Abuse
Clinical Trial Network research study.
The acceptance of new, data-driven interventions shows that
Odyssey House is staying ahead of the field in terms of best practices and the
most effective treatment services, and the commitment to research and
implementation of EBPs has only grown. We now employ more than 12 different
data-driven interventions throughout the agency, and we have recently participated
in several clinical trials with both New York University and Columbia
University. As an evaluator on several grant projects supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, I have seen from the data that
the programs we implement are effective.
The first questions I asked of my colleagues upon entering
the field was, “What do we do?” and “How do we know what we do works?” Although
simple questions, it was clear to me that the answers were much more complex and the results more rewarding.
Working in Recovery is an occasional series of guest blog posts by Odyssey House clinical, administrative, and research experts.
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