Bridgewell officials eye expansion

LYNNFIELD – Fifty apartments rented locally to recovering drug addicts are “woefully inadequate” to help people recover from substance abuse and lead responsible lives, a top human service agency executive said.?We?re looking for ways to expand those units,” said Bridgewell President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Stearns.Project Cope, Bridgewell?s partner agency, rents the apartments to individuals who get help recovering from addiction and agree to treatment plans allowing them to live semi-independently with counseling and other services available to them.?It helps people become more productive members of society,” Stearns said.Expanding recovering housing is a byproduct of the three year-long effort that Bridgewell and Cope formalized in January.Stearns and Cope Executive Director Mark Kennard said the affiliation allows Project Cope to benefit from Bridgewell?s large-scale operations and provides disability assistance provider Bridgewell with a close relationship with a substance abuse treatment agency.?Having Mark and his staff bring in all their knowledge is a huge advantage – we?re expanding our talent pool,” Stearns said.Founded 57 years ago, Bridgewell expanded by caring for individuals with intellectual disabilities, including people who needed care after the state started closing hospitals and other institutions. Based near Route 1 in Lynnfield, Bridgewell currently serves 6,000 clients in 24 communities, including Lynn, where it runs 38 programs ranging from small homes to a day program attended by more than 100 clients.Cope?s founders opened a Central Square “drop-in” center for drug addicts in 1970 and expanded to a former North Common Street center. Financial problems surrounding construction of a 28-bed Lynn recovery home for women in 2009-2010 helped spur merger talks.?We weren?t growing and an organization that is not growing is slowly dying,” Kennard said.Cope and Bridgewell shared common ground for years in aiding homeless individuals, but Kennard said changes in drug addiction treatment tightened connections between the agencies.Cope?s founders treated addicts by “tearing down and rebuilding” drug abusers. Transforming that philosophy to “helping people who have enduring multiple losses” gives addicts a chance to benefit from the basic life skill instruction Bridgewell has provided clients.?Life is very difficult when you used drugs illicitly and now you don?t,” Kennard said.Cope and Bridgewell plan to offer mental health, substance abuse and other types of counseling services to employers who want to expand and update employee assistance programs.?It opens doors up for employees to resolve issues that impact their life and their work,” said Stearns.Cope and Bridgewell also plan to negotiate changes in the health insurance industry. Kennard said medical care trends are shifting to “whole person care” with doctors and healthcare institutions working with insurers to make sure patients? physical well-being is matched by mental health and behavioral care.??The better you do health-wise, the better I do from a financial point of view? or that?s the theory,” he said.