This month, we’re excited to highlight some of our incredible team members saving lives every day at Gaudenzia’s Crownsville Campus, which provides a full continuum of addiction treatment services in Anne Arundel County, MD.
If you or someone you love needs Crownsville addiction treatment, please call our 24-hour HelpLine at 833.976.HELP (4357) today or email [email protected]
A Q&A with Steve Phillips
Today, the spotlight is on Steve Phillips, who joined Gaudenzia two and half years ago and currently serves as the Operations Manager for our entire Chesapeake Region. We spoke with Steve to learn more about his journey with Gaudenzia and what keeps him coming back to work every day.
What Made You Want to Work at Gaudenzia?
I’m in recovery myself. I was a correctional officer in TN, and I got addicted to painkillers. My life for 18 years spiraled out of control, but I finally got sober — going on six years. I was working in the restaurant business, but my heart wasn’t really into it. When I got sober, I got into sober living. I had nothing, but I had this feeling of having a support network and not having to lean on drugs. I saw newcomers come in, and I just really wanted to help them. I wanted to work in a recovery place.
I might not be good at a lot of things, but I know I can relate to our clients. I have a huge support network here, and you get the opportunity to grow here. I started out as a supervisor and made my way up to Operations Manager for the entire region.
What Keeps You Coming Back to Work Every Day?
It might sound corny, but it’s the clients and staff. Sometimes you think, “Am I making a difference?”, and it’s in the small things. One guy came in from jail and he had lost his ID. We were so swamped, and it took time out, but I sat with him to figure out, where did he come from? Where did he lose it at? And we found it for him. To me it was just me doing my job, but to him it was everything. He broke down and cried and he said, “Thank you, Mr. Steve.” Sometimes you take a step back and see you are making a difference. I do it because I care about our clients.
What’s the Best Part About Your Team?
There could be so much craziness going on, but the passion we have for these clients is there. The staff here care about people. They have their own stories, and they’ve been through it. They’re like me. They can relate to our clients. Yeah, it’s a paycheck, but money is not everything. We’re helping. I have Mr. Brown, he’s a program supervisor, he calls me every day on his way home. He lives two hours away, and we talk for two hours. We support each other, and we’ve got each other’s back 100%. We do it for them. We do it for our clients.
Why is This Program Important in This Community?
We don’t turn anybody away. We don’t give up on people. Annapolis and this area, the drug epidemic is here. I think to the community, we do more. We bring awareness. We see what’s going on in the community with drugs. This program benefits people. We have something for everybody — we have the admissions, the detox, everything. We don’t just throw people out. We help them find structure. There’s a big support network here. This is a safe haven for people.
What Services Do People Most Commonly Need When They Leave Treatment?
People need structure. We don’t just want to throw anybody out on the street. We help them get jobs, and we help them get into sober living, outpatient care, and so on. A lot of times people have issues with things like getting a social security card, and we try to help with that.
About Gaudenzia’s Crownsville Campus
Gaudenzia’s Crownsville Campus provides a full continuum of substance use disorder treatment services, including a 24/7/365 walk-in crisis stabilization unit, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services, mental health treatment, residential detox for men and women, and long-term residential treatment for men. A comprehensive team of addiction counselors, therapists, recovery peers, and 24-hour medical staffing ensures that all clients are treated individually and holistically based on their unique clinical treatment needs.
If you or someone you love needs Crownsville addiction treatment, please call our 24-hour HelpLine at 833.976.HELP (4357) today or email [email protected]
