Celebrate a QuarterCentury of Compassion at
Gordon R. Tobin, MD
A
ugust 2014 is the 25th anniversary
of The Healing Place (THP), Louisville’s acclaimed addiction recovery
program that has returned so many lost souls
to lives of hope and productivity from the
depths of their
addictions and
suffering. This
landmark event
will be celebrated August 22 with a elegant reception at the Louisville Downtown Marriott. Associated celebrations
are scheduled between August 17-23
(see page 18). The founding of THP is
the finest legacy of the Greater Louisville Medical Society (GLMS). GLMS
members will join THP in honoring
its remarkable growth and success, and
in commemorating GLMS’ founding
role.
THP is now a nationally recognized example of compassion in
action, and it stands as a stellar manifestation of Louisville’s embrace
of compassion, Mayor Greg Fischer’s vision of our city’s most noble
goals. No finer example of a compassionate city’s actions exists than
the thousands of lives reclaimed by Louisville’s THP program. The
founding and support of THP also represents the highest principles
of medical ethics, and a shining act of ethical leadership that GLMS
sets for physicians everywhere.
Pathway to a Remarkable Achievement
THP’s acclaimed recovery program has grown from a tiny, experimental program pioneered in the early 1990s to the present scope of
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LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
600 men and women on three local campuses with over 4000 alumni.
The extraordinary success rate of this program is well above the
national average, with a sobriety rate of over 75 percent at one year
after program completion, as assessed by an objective University of
Kentucky study. This outstanding success rate has attracted national
recognition and is inspiring widespread replication across the state,
nation and world. Based on principles
pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous,
it emphasizes peer mentoring and experience sharing, so those progressing in recovery guide those entering.
The progress is intensively monitored
by peers, program graduates, and staff
in a caring, but strictly disciplined
environment, where responsibility for
progress is firmly placed on the client.
Self-examination and accountability
ar H[