Doing well by doing good: A day of service at Odyssey House

On July 26^th, approximately 50 staff members from international branding firm Siegel+Gale joined Odyssey House to paint a mural and the playrooms at the Manor Family Center. The images and mural painted by Siegel+Gale bring a touch of whimsy to the playrooms and create a relaxing space for the facility’s residents.

Siegel+Gale co-CEO David Srere said the idea for the day of service is rooted in the heritage of the company: doing well by doing good. He said, “This kind of day, when you’re using your skills, passions and talents to contribute to something that is really important and larger than any one of us, is a critical, fundamental underpinning of what Siegel+Gale is all about.”

When considering how they could contribute to Odyssey House, Howard Belk, co-CEO of Siegel+Gale, said that art seemed like a natural fit. “One of the tools that Odyssey House uses to help their clients overcome their challenges is art,” said Mr. Belk. “So we went to art because we’d seen the power of it already. And we’ve created these fun and light-hearted murals to lift the spirits of the residents here.”

Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet discussed the significance of the day of service by recognizing the value of partnerships. “This kind of corporate connection validates the work we do,” Dr. Provet said. “It gives our staff and clients a belief that they are not alone, that others care for the struggle they’ve gone through and the commitment they’re making by being at Odyssey House, and so we thank Siegel+Gale enormously for being there for our clients, their families, and for our entire organization.”

Odyssey House first connected with Siegel+Gale three years ago when they helped us refresh our visual identity with a vibrant, award-winning logo. Since then, Justin Peters, global executive creative director at Siegel+Gale, who led the logo design project, joined the Odyssey House Boards of Trustees and hosted the 10^th anniversary reception for the Odyssey House Art Project. 

See all the photos from the day on our Flickr page.

Our 2012 Annual Report is now available

Commitment to a Cause

Helping people with substance use disorders and mental health challenges rebuild their lives requires a special kind of commitment. It’s a commitment that demands resiliency, gives hope, rewards effort, and embraces challenges. It’s the kind of commitment that puts people first and expects the best from everyone.

By setting a standard of commitment, OdysseyHouse has created a culture of achievement and expertise that stimulates personal growth and encourages resourcefulness. This year's annual report explores how Odyssey House is maintaining high treatment standards - built on evidence-based practices and decades of clinical experience - in the face of a changing environment.

Odyssey House logo wins award

We are pleased to announce that global strategic branding firm Siegel+Gale has received a 2013 REBRAND 100 Distinction Award for its development of the new Odyssey House logo. The REBRAND Awards are considered one of the most prestigious in the worldwide branding industry.

Siegel+Gale helped us explore new ways to communicate our diverse programs and services in a fresh and engaging way. Led by Justin Peters, global executive creative director, the design team developed a compelling new logo that comes in five brilliant colors: yellow, blue, green, orange, and purple. 

Unveiled in September 2010, the new Odyssey House logo and tagline - "Where recovery lives" - capture the evolution of the institution from a single service treatment provider to a social services organization that also includes mental health, medical, dental, educational and vocational, and housing services in our portfolio.

Click here to see the evolution of our logo.

Working in Recovery: How do we know what works? We ask questions

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.

A time when marijuana is legal

In response to Bill Keller's column, "How to Legalize Pot," in The New York Times, Dr. Peter Provet comments on the implications of legalizing marijuana.

A Time When Marijuana is Legal

To the Editor:

Bill Keller suggests that legalization of marijuana is a foregone conclusion. The voters in Washington State and Colorado have proposed that one way out of an intransigent public health problem, costly law enforcement, spiraling prison costs and reduced tax revenues is to legalize a known addictive substance.

It is wishful thinking, however, to believe that a government-regulated marijuana marketplace will raise enough money to offset the harm that today’s highly potent drug inflicts on communities across America.

The only chance we have to get ahead of the coming epidemic is by adequately financing treatment programs so the infrastructure of marijuana production, distribution and retail is matched by broad-based community services.

PETER PROVET
President and Chief Executive
Odyssey House