2. Main Social Justice Issue in the
Local Context
Founded in Fresno in 1972, a group of concerned valley
businessmen started a program to assist in removing the
inebriated homeless from the streets of Fresno County, giving
them the opportunity to help rebuild their lives. They
established a long-term recovery program known as
Comprehensive Alcohol Program, Inc. As society has changed,
so have the programs and counseling styles at CAP, with the
addition of a recovery program for drug abuse. For this reason,
the agency is now known as Comprehensive Addiction
Programs, Inc. (CAP Recovery Home)
3. Organizational Structure of the
Agency
CAP’s organizational structure is composed of a board of
directors which is made up of community members, an
executive director, who has an executive assistant, a
program manager, a bookkeeper, and a client financial
coordinator. There is a program supervisor and a support
services supervisor under the program manager. The
program supervisor oversees the detoxification unit, the
education coordinator, the men's program, and the
women's program. The support services supervisor
oversees the after care program, the facilities, the night
monitoring, the nutritional services, and transportation.
4. Community Context of the Agency
Comprehensive Addiction Program is a non-profit organization
supported in part by contributions from individuals and communities.
The services that CAP offers are Assessment, Detoxification,
Residential Care Program, Continuing Care, and Step Two Transition
Services:
Assessment: According to CAP, successful treatment begins with an
accurate assessment of all aspects of the level and symptoms of
addiction and the social issues that impact comprehensive care. Clients
are given health questionnaires to identify and properly address any
medical conditions that are related to drug or alcohol abuse. Thorough
psychosocial and substance abuse evaluations help identify the problems
that must be addressed in individualized treatment plans.
5. Community Context of the Agency
Continued…
Detoxification: If indicated, CAP includes detoxification
services as part of a minimum 30 day residential program at
no additional cost to the client.
Residential Care Program: The environment at CAP is based
on working together to solve problems as a dependency-free
community. The size and design of CAP’s community
provide special opportunities to create a model of healthy
peer confrontation. Under the guidance of counselors, denial
is broken down, self-disclosure begins, and changes in
behavior and thinking occur, instilling long term recovery
skills.
6. Community Context of the Agency
Continued…
Continuing Care: CAP’s Aftercare Program consists of a weekly
group facilitated by experienced staff who would help guide
clients in their recovery efforts. During aftercare, clients are
guided toward meeting goals contained in their exit plans from
residential treatment. They are given opportunities to succeed. In
addition, clients receive feedback and support from staff and
peers, helping them learn to sustain freedom from alcohol and
drugs.
Step Two Transition Services: According to CAP, not everyone is
ready to move from structured treatment settings to community
living. CAP’s sober living facility is a 10-bed unit with supportive
case management to assist residents to return to sober, stable,
independent community living . Peer support meetings help
establish relationships that contribute to life-long sobriety.
7. Populations-at-Risk Whose Needs
are Addressed
Comprehensive Addiction Programs, Inc. (CAP) is
committed to succeed and expand in the provision of
services to populations who identify and/or self-identify to
suffer from Chemical Dependency with Co-Occurring
Disorders despite socio-economical status.
CAP’s vision is to support the individuals the agency
serves and their families from all socioeconomic
backgrounds.
8. Agency’s Mission and Aims
Comprehensive Addiction Programs, Inc. (CAP) is a
residential treatment program "committed to
providing the tools, education, and support to recover
that which has been lost through addiction and to
rebuild the lives of
individuals, families, coworkers, and communities".
9. Agency’s Practices
The clients at Comprehensive Addiction Program are usually
referred by another agency like Westcare or California Center
for Recovery, but some of the clients are self-referred or
request services on their own free will. Therefore, CAP has
some private pay clients and other clients are eligible
applicants for some county funding.
CAP believes in that clients are always first or that “we are
there for the client”. However, it has its strict policies and
procedures, but they are there for the wellbeing of the client.
For example, CAP has a dress code policy, time management
policy, weapons policy, relapse policy, which places clients on
bed rest for detoxification if a client is found to have been
using drugs or alcohol, no fraternizing between men and
women, among other policies and procedures.
10. Agency’s Practices Continued…
In addition, Clients are allowed to make calls, which are
monitored by staff, but they have to be business related;
for instance, when they need to call a social worker,
schedule a doctor’s appointment, call an attorney, etc.
Personal calls can be made using the pay phone, which are
not monitored.
11. Agency’s Significance in terms of Social
Justice, Social Work Values and Human
Rights
In terms of social justice, social work values, and human rights,
Comprehensive Addiction Program’s significance is that it is a
program that sees substance abuse or chemical dependency as a
disease that should be treated taking into account each person’s
physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Comprehensive Addiction Program treats its clients with
equality, client favoritism or preferring one client over another
is prohibited and it believes that every person or client in the
program/treatment should be treated with dignity and respect.
In addition, its assessment approach is very congruent with
some of the values of the social work profession.
12. References:
Comprehensive Addiction Programs, Inc. Reaching to
Rebuild Lives, Families, and Communities
[Brochure].
Comprehensive Addiction Programs, Inc. Retrieved
October 17, 2011, from http://www.caprehab.org/
E. Montez (personal communication, October 12, 2011).
