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Virginia Capitol C onnections, Summer 2015
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The McShin Foundation
By David Rook
The McShin Foundation was founded in July 2004. McShin is
an Authentic Recovery Community Organization (ARCO). We are
a 17 member 501c3 non-profit board made up of primarily (85%
recovery people; board compilation) citizens (non-government agency
employee’s) who are in long-term recovery from Substance Use
Disorders (SUD).
McShin is one of 5 accredited RCO’s in America, accredited by
the inaugural accreditors were JCAHO and CARF
accreditors, the same organizations accrediting hospitals and clinical
treatment center etc.
President and co-founder John Shinholser, so far has been clean
and sober since 8/10/82, Carol McDaid McShin’s co-founder has been
clean and sober since 10/20/97, all of McShin’s ten employee’s are
clean and sober, most of which came through the McShin program i.e.
CEO Honesty Liller herself came through over 8 years ago and has as
long clean and sober.
Simply put McShin staff and peer leaders (*Recovery Coaches)
provide instant Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS) in a Recovery
Oriented System of Care (ROSOC).
McShin’s main Recovery Community Center (RCC) is housed in
a 15,000 square ft. building, a far cry from its original office of 56
sq. ft. McShin operates on a self-funded annual budget of $850,000.00
increasing annually.
*Recover Coaches, McShin is the original training institute in
Virginia for certified recovery coaches, we wrote the *book, we are
currently a 40 hour CEU provider of McShin is also
one of the leading recovery coach trainer in the U.S. McShin’s coach
manual is the most utilized recovery coach manual in the U.S.
Over 50,000 consumers visit McShin annually to attend one or
more of our recovery support meetings (open and available to the
public at no cost, over 2000 such meeting a year), families may and do
walk in unannounced and get a free family intervention on the spot by
recovering staff and volunteers, at no cost.
McShin facilitates several recovery residences; we are Virginia’s
100 other recovery resident beds operated by other recovery people.
McShin has scientifically proven the cost effectiveness of ROSOC
embedded in the correction setting as well as court referrals. No other
authentic grass root organization specializing in SUD’s in Virginia has
gone to the lengths McShin has excelled at to demonstrate the value
to “Healing Families and Saving Lives”, to include a huge increase in
public safety, a huge decrease in recidivism.
The McShin ROSOC systems savesVirginia millions of tax dollars
annually and has for over 11 years, McShin strategic plan is to increase
these services to the citizens of Virginia and else where.
McShin is featured in a national documentary The Anonymous
People as well as featured in a newly released book Many Faces One
Voice by Bud Mikhitarian.
McShin’s leading recovery support is “old timers” demonstrating
hope to new comers so they may see for themselves (from those who
have come before them) that all will be well if they follow simple
suggestions. McShin provides these services in the community as well
as jails, prisons and institutions, wherever the hopeless may be McShin
seeks them out.
McShin also is closely aligned with like-minded clinical and
medical providers, those specializing in the linkage to (and importance
of) the ROSOC.
There is a 100% percent scale of those needing help with SUD’s;
the McShin model is very effective for the center 70% of this scale.
McShin model provides hope as well as facilitates the steps
necessary to navigate safe housing, livable wage job/jobs, family
reunification and community/civic restoration.
A day at McShin may look like a peer advocating in court for a
chance at recovery instead of incarceration, a peer facilitating a group
in a jail, a peer greeting a grieving family lost and looking for solutions.
Daily meeting and recovery activities, educational groups and
lessons on how to grow up and embrace responsibilities of being a
adult living in a community.
Socializing in small and large groups at picnics, churches, camp
outs, sporting, recovery events for the whole families. McShin leads
the community for family education and coping techniques. McShin
excels at demonstrating through practical application how to become
that useful productive member of our community.
McShin has been very influential in the passage of many legislative
laws always improving our systems. McShin is Virginia’s best watch
dog for ROSOC issues as well as irresponsible law making of anti
recovery laws. McShin advocates nation wide to include our nations
capital.
When combating SUD’s no other single agency comes close to
the effectiveness of McShin. Some agencies focus on homelessness,
differently abled; McShin understands recovery is the solution for
SUD’s, McShin understands the recovering person is the ultimate
weapon against SUD’s. Time and history proves this to be so.
McShin also deploys gender specific peer recovery techniques;
McShin understands the value of women helping women and men
helping men with the recovery process.
McShin delivers the message of recovery from SUD’s utilizing the
many different pathways to recovery. The facilitators are recovering
themselves in those very pathways; this keeps the teaching style
authentic in nature.
McShin organizes the thousands of recovery people and their
families for the purpose of reducing the stigma associated with SUD’s,
events sometimes reach thousands of citizens attending. Politicians are
always invited to comment and carry policy messaging.
The McShin Model is one of the greatest solutions we have to
overcoming SUD’s fully acknowledging the authentic ROSOC is the
future system for recovery.
David Rook is a Peer Leader and Intake Specialist at The McShin
Foundation.
Fine Art Photographer
Seasons House on Trumpington Court
Chester eld, VA 23838-2110
804.739.1955
WANDA JUDD
Settle and Associates Inc.
Janet S. Settle
Settle and Associates Inc.
288 Clubhouse Drive
Abingdon, Virginia 24211-3839
Mobile: 804-347-9163
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