THE HEALING PLACE:
Celebrating 25 Years by Looking Ahead
G
reater Louisville Medical Society physicians once
dreamed of breaking the cycle of homelessness through
a community collaboration shelter and soup kitchen.
That was 1989 and though the battle is ongoing, the
original vision spurred the creation of one of the nation’s greatest
addiction recovery programs.
When a handful of men at the original shelter explained how
desperately Louisville needed an alcohol and drug addiction
program, The Healing Place was born. Now, thousands upon
thousands of people in need have been given a second chance
through the organization.
The Healing Place’s Substance Abuse Recovery Model has made
waves across the nation for its exceptionally high 75 percent
success rate and lack of reliance on medication. The model is
a six-month residential program which utilizes peer mentoring
and personal accountability for those who voluntarily join THP.
“The first thing to understand about THP is it’s a social model
with the word ‘social’ emphasized. Our success depends on interaction between our clients, how each person responds and how
they present their needs,” said THP Chairman Jay Davidson, who
has served The Healing Place since 1991 and helped guide the
program into what it is today. Davidson battled and overcame
his own alcohol addiction, allowing him to better understand
others who need help.
“Our model works on behavioral changes. We don’t fight the
chemical a person is addicted to. Only the first step of the 12
6
step program talks about a chemical. Steps 2-12 are about how
to change your behavior,” Davidson said.
Since The Healing Place began, the cycle of addiction has seen
numerous debilitating drug trends including: alcohol, cocaine,
crack cocaine, methamphetamine, prescription pain pills and
now, heroin. What has not changed is the nature of addiction
itself.
THP President Karyn Hascal has over 30 years of experience in
substance abuse prevention and community mental health.
“Politicians often want to slap a Band-Aid on a particular drug.
They want to talk about a ‘drug problem.’ So they frame it that
methamphetamine is the problem. Heroin is the problem. Those
are just the drugs of the day. The reality of the problem is the
disease of addiction. Until we address the disease of addiction
as a public health epidemic, nothing will change.”
Hascal said another key hurdle to overcome is the question of
how to keep the agency alive and viable without charging a fee,
without taking much government money and while continuing
to offer innovative services to those in need.
“There is minimal education out there about addiction, particularly among doctors. There’s no pill to fix it, so nobody wants to
talk about it. Most people believe it’s just a matter of will power.
It’s a moral issue. It’s a weakness. It’s a poor upbringing. That’s
not true. It’s a brain disease. Until we attack that stigma, the
problem will not go away,” Hascal said.
VITAL SIGNS Volume 9 • Issue 3