Photo caption: Unit Clerk Lynda Baker checks Nurse Manning Reed’s vital signs. Unit Clerk Lynda Baker didn’t know what the job entailed when she applied at La Hacienda in 2002. She just saw the title and imagined it would be like the office work she did for 15 years at the Kerrville State Hospital. “I thought it was a secretarial … Read More
Equal Coverage for Treatment is Law, But Enforcement Lags
Image from the Parity at 10 Campaign. Insurance coverage for treatment of substance use disorders and mental health issues is supposed to be equal to what is provided for medical and surgical services. That was the purpose of the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act passed by Congress 10 years ago this fall. In theory it sounds simple. … Read More
College Station Office Supports First Aggie Sober Tailgate
Photo caption: La Hacienda-College Station Program Director Mary Reyes (second from right) and members of the Aggie Recovery Community give a Gig ‘Em for the first Aggie Sober Tailgate. Challenges to a person in recovery can fill college life. Among them are tailgate parties before sporting events, a frequent theme of beer industry ads. At Texas A&M University, students in … Read More
Dining Staff Goes All Out for Thanksgiving
Photo Caption: Our Guadalupe River frontage is dressed for the season. Most Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with a large meal with family. People in treatment—and those assisting them—do not have the day off, but they can enjoy a traditional holiday buffet. The La Hacienda Nutritional Services Department will lay out a Thanksgiving spread for about 250 persons, including patients, staff, and … Read More
Responding to the California Wildfires
Logo courtesy LAFD Foundation Along with the rest of the nation, we have been horrified and saddened by the death and destruction caused by the California wildfires. Thousands are homeless, hundreds may have perished, and fire fighters and other emergency personnel are at the limits of their endurance. Faced with such a catastrophe, it may not seem there is much … Read More
Outreach Staffer Learns About Firefighters’ Work
Photo Caption: Dallas Outreach Coordinator Ashley Martel, fourth from right, and the other treatment professionals who participated in “Into the Flames.” Instructor Casey Ellsworth is third from left. Dallas-based La Hacienda Outreach Coordinator Ashley Martel recently got a taste of a firefighter’s life. Along with therapists and staff from other treatment centers in the Dallas area, she participated in “Into … Read More
Veterans Remembered; Bell Tolled for Peace
Photo caption: Army veteran and La Hacienda staffer Rhonda Avans practices ringing the bell last week for the Veterans Day observance held November 11. Staff and patients paused Sunday morning, November 11, to observe the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I and to thank military veterans for their service. Gathered near the Bodega at the La Hacienda … Read More
Granddaughter’s Death Spurs Sense of Mission
Photo caption: Nurse Practitioner Cyndy Hartsfield, right, discusses information with Physician Dr. Ottis Layne. As do many of our staff members, Nurse Practitioner Cyndy Hartsfield, RN FNP, brings a personal desire to help people recover to her work at La Hacienda. In 2016 her 25-year-old granddaughter, Katy, died from a heroin overdose. The family knew the young woman had an … Read More
Staff Celebrates Halloween with Costumes, Food, and Words
Caption: Costumed staff members, from left, Denis Filer, Sally Wall, Lisa Schreckenbach, and Rachel Kessler, got in the holiday spirit. Staff took a few minutes from their normal duties on Wednesday, October 31, to celebrate Halloween. Here and there a witch, a pug, a fairy godmother, a deviled egg, and even a lady dragon went about their regular care duties … Read More
ABCs of Advocacy 2018 Registration Open
In advance of the 2019 session of the Texas Legislature, an ABCs of Advocacy training will be held in Austin on Monday, November 5. The session starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. in the Legislative Conference Center of the state capitol building, 1100 Congress Avenue. The event is designed to increase advocacy skills to help expand access … Read More