Vanguard Services Proud Recipient of Federal Grant

Vanguard Services Unlimited has been awarded a prestigious grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for a three-year initiative called Vanguard Initiative for Process Access and Retention. The program will receive $191,247 in the first year, and is expected to receive $188,740 in year two and $197,498 in year three.

These funds will benefit the local community as they will be used in all of Vanguard's nine programs, including those that focus on children.

As leaders in addiction recovery, Vanguard recognizes the critical, time-sensitive nature of a potential client's willingness to accept treatment and will use the funds to streamline its intake process to make it as smooth and non-threatening as possible. Vanguard will conduct a thorough review of its procedures from how its telephones are answered to a client's successful re-entry into the community.

Vanguard aims to improve retention rates with one of the newest, most successful means of treatment, known as motivational intervention. Finally, Vanguard will improve its use of technology and data collection.

"Vanguard strives to provide the best possible services to our clients and our community," said Dr. Kevin Doyle, who will direct the initiative. "The grant will provide us with the resources to incorporate the latest, most up-to-date scientific methods to implement process improvement techniques to improve client access and retention."

The grants, awarded by HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), went to 13 applicants around the country. The awards are designed to help implement effective clinical and administrative practices that will encourage people to seek addiction treatment and remain in the full course of treatment.