St. Christopher’s Inn in Garrison, New York, was among the first organizations to test whether the NIATx model could improve processes in substance abuse treatment settings. The Inn's Chief Operating Officer, Marianne Taylor Rhoades, got the Inn started by submitting a successful proposal for the first NIATx learning collaborative, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Paths to Recovery. St. Christopher's was one of only ten selected out of the more than 300 proposals submitted.
St. Christopher’s first change project aimed to increase admissions by reducing time to return phone calls. A walk-through revealed the Inn's nationally advertised toll-free number went to a voice mailbox–that was never checked. And having all staff take lunch at the same time—leaving the phones uncovered—was contributing to missed calls. Within a month of correcting these issues with simple changes, the Inn saw increases in admissions and revenue.
That was back in 2003. Since then, process improvement has become part of the culture at St. Christopher’s Inn. Taylor Rhoades and David Gerber, Director of Counseling and Shelter Services, credit the NIATx model with contributing to the overall quality of the Inn's treatment services—and its recent recognition by the New York State of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS).
In December 2011, OASAS for the first time released to the public a scorecard of all licensed chemical dependency treatment programs in New York State. Outpatient chemical dependency programs were ranked in 11 categories to determine program quality. St. Christopher's Inn was the only Day Rehabilitation Program in New York State to receive the highest scores (5 stars) in 9 of the 11 categories, signifying that St. Christopher's Inn is among the highest performing and most successful programs in New York State. In the 2 categories that SCI did not receive 5 stars in, the Inn met state averages. (View scorecard here.)
Congratulations to all the staff at St. Christopher's Inn!
We know that the NIATx model has become part of the way many treatment organizations “do business” – from the veterans of our first demonstration projects to those who learned about NIATx more recently, from a colleague or a visit to our web site. We’d love to hear from you! Send us a blog comment, an e-mail, or post on our Facebook page.
What gives the NIATx model staying power in your organization?
Congratulations to St. Christopher's Inn
ReplyDeleteWhat's great about NIATx is that once you immerse yourself in it, it becomes a part of you. I can be having a casual conversation with an employee who will come up with an idea and I will say "Hey that sounds like a NIATx process improvement", and we will get to work on something. Further- I take it with me wherever I go. I look at things with a different eye. I notice opportunities for improvements at other treatment programs, grocery stores- you name it! NIATx has staying power.
ReplyDeleteDavid Gerber, St. Christopher's Inn