Phoenix House News Archives - 2005

State’s Focus On Fighting Addiction Insufficient
Finn Kavanagh, Director of Phoenix House Florida, suggests that we call upon Florida’s political leaders to provide the resources necessary to close Florida’s treatment gap. Recovery Month (September) is a particularly relevant time to direct our attention to making sure those with no access to recovery programs get the help they need. Read more

August 21, 2005

Batter Up
This year’s annual Hamptons LI rivalry, the Artists & Writers softball game (which benefits Phoenix House) drew such notables as actor Alec Baldwin, NY Knicks coach Larry Brown, journalists Ken Auletta and Carl Bernstein, NBC/Universal Television president Jeff Zucker, and former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Phoenix House residents sold hot dogs and hamburgers and were a highly visible (and much-appeciated) presence at the game. Read more

Proud Graduates Leave Their Drug Problems Behind
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke at the Phoenix Academy of Los Angeles graduation ceremony. The Mayor congratulated the twenty-seven graduates on their “fortitude, strength, tenacity, and determination to make it.” Read more

Turning a story of teen addiction into one of hope and promise
Phoenix House board member Fraser Lang describes the broad public support behind closing the gap between the number of adolescents who need drug and alcohol abuse treatment and those who actually receive it.  Phoenix House provides treatment throughout New England and in Rhode Island, a state with one of the highest rates of teen drug and alcohol abuse, and one of the bottom five in terms of addiction treatment. Read more

Researchers, patients alike see advantages of buprenorphine
Phoenix House medical director, Dr. Terry Horton, discusses the use of buprenorphine as part of Phoenix House treatment. Buprenorphine treatment is used in the detoxification stages at Phoenix House, followed by residential treatment. Read more

Teen troubles take the stage
Ramell Stone, a teen resident of Phoenix Academy in Yorktown, wrote a play that was stages at the Manhattan Theater Club. Playwriting gives kids the opportunity to find their voices and to be heard. Read more

A West Sider Who Gives Chances to Others
Phoenix House Chief Operating Officer Kevin McEneaney received a 2005 Westy Award from the West Side Spirit. McEneaney was recognized for his dedication to providing help for those in need of substance abuse treatment. During his 37 years at Phoenix House, the organization has helped thousands of adults and teenagers overcome drug addictions and move on with healthy, productive lives. Read more

Post-9/11 security cuts into Ecstasy
Phoenix House medical director Dr. Terry Horton discusses the recent rise in teen prescription drug abuse, while noting a drop in Ecstasy use. A study says that OxyContin abuse among high school seniors increased in recent years. Read more

Fewer High schoolers use Ecstasy, study finds
A Phoenix House resident relates how Ecstasy abuse has declined in popularity. Research indicates that teens have increasingly realized the dangers abusing Ecstasy. At Phoenix House, year-long residential treatment helps thousands of men and women fight addiction to drugs like Ecstasy. Read more

Trying out new court
New York Knicks basketball legend John Starks helped students at the Phoenix Academy of Westchester open their newly renovated basketball gymnasium. Starks sank the first basket and urged the kids to “believe in what you do because everybody has success inside them.” The gym was partially funded by Ronald McDonald House Charities, with both staff and residents working to improve the Phoenix Academy facility. Read more

Profile of Christopher Randolph
A profile of Phoenix House deputy medical director Christopher Randolph. Randolph’s focus is the First Step program, which uses buprenorphine to assist in opiate detoxification. The innovative program makes use of buprenorphine in a long-term residential care setting, helping people get through detoxification more quickly. Read more

Poet's Art Imitates Life
Phoenix House resident Kevin Shipp was the featured poet at a Barnes & Noble poetry night hosted by Brooklyn poet laureate Ken Siegelman. A recovering alcoholic, Shipp finds poetry and his treatment at Phoenix House therapeutic. Read more

Treat Substance Abuse Now, or We All Pay Later
Mary Margaret Farabee, a Phoenix House Board Member, makes the case for supporting drug abuse treatment funding.  A mother who lost her son to substance abuse, Farabee warns against cutting support for programs like Phoenix House. Read more

A Cry for Help
Phoenix Academy Austin Director Laurie DeLong discusses finding ways to help children in need despite recent budget cuts. As the only teen addiction treatment facility in Central Texas, Phoenix Academy Austin is often the only option for troubled teens. With other treatment centers caving in to financial struggles, DeLong hopes to keep Phoenix Academy Austin open as an option. Read more

End the Rockefeller Laws
Former director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and Phoenix House board member Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey and Phoenix House president Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal offer guidelines for legislators reforming New York's draconian Rockefeller drug laws. Phoenix House has shown that long-term residential treatment, not incarceration, is a more effective, less expensive way to curb drug use and drug-related crime. Read more