Substance Abuse Treatment Provider ADACCV Embarks on Capital Campaign for $5 Million Expansion

The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council for the Concho Valley (ADACCV) is in the initial stages of a $5 million Capital Campaign to expand its services and capacity in the 13 County Concho Valley area.
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit substance abuse treatment center focuses on indigent and low income people who cannot afford private treatment or do not have insurance to cover the associated costs.

Originally started in 1960, ADACCV has served the indigent population in the region for over 50 years with residential treatment for men and women. It is also the only facility of its type in the region that will accept women and their children in residential programs.

The proposed $5 million campaign will allow ADACCV to add a new Detox Center to the existing programs, something that has been missing since 1997. Eric Sanchez, CEO of ADACCV, indicated it is a critically important part of the program.

“For someone to have success in addressing their addiction, many times it has to start with detoxification to get them off of the substances in their system,” Sanchez said. “If we can get someone clean with detox and then have them go through the other two steps of the program – treatment and aftercare – our success rate for them staying clean is over 80%.”

The challenge for ADACCV in San Angelo is there has been no detox program available for the indigent population since 1997 when the organization had to discontinue its detox program due to lack of space and medical personnel. As a result, anyone wishing to enter rehabilitation has to first go to a detox facility in another city, the closest of which is over 130 miles away. According to Sanchez, “It really creates a stumbling block for a number of people who are already on the edge because they have to relocate for 30 days or more to another city before they can enter our program. If we can provide this program locally, it will not only help the people at their point of need, it will also keep them from tying up much needed local resources with law enforcement and the hospitals.”

ADACCV and its Board of Directors are committed to providing a comprehensive treatment program. A 20,000+ square foot addition to ADACCV’s Cotton Lindsey Center, at 3553 Houston Harte, is planned. The expansion will add a new detox center and will accommodate up to 12 clients. ADACCV will also consolidate its services to one location and double its residential treatment capacity by providing 30 male treatment beds and 18 female treatment beds. The women’s program is one of few in Texas to allow women to bring their children, while they receive treatment.

In March 2014, the San Angelo Health Foundation awarded ADACCV a $1 million challenge grant for the project as a catalyst for community support to raise the rest. A capital campaign cabinet has been developed and continues to grow. Current members include local attorneys, Don Griffis and Patrick Shannon, Texas Bank President, Gary Cox, former Mayor, Alvin New, Tom Green County Sheriff David Jones, David Bailey and ADACCV Board President, Gloria Priddy.

Don Griffis, partner at the Jackson Walker law firm, also serves on the Board of ADACCV. “This is an important project because it doesn’t just affect the individuals being helped and their families, it affects the entire community,” Griffis said. “We are one community and this program reaches out to those in their darkest hour and gives them the tools and the support system to find their way out.”

One of the Campaign Cabinet members, Gary Cox – President of Texas Bank, indicated the campaign is important for another reason. “It certainly makes good business sense for the organization to add the detoxification component and consolidate its overall operations into one location. But at the end of the day, the true value of what ADACCV is providing can’t be measured in dollars and cents,” Cox said. “When you permanently change the direction of someone’s life for the better and get them away from the drugs and alcoholism that has brought them to the brink of ruin, how can you measure the true value of that impact?”

ADACCV wants the campaign to also help the community better understand its mission and the accomplishments of the organization. Part of that is raising the profile of the organization, which has remained a bit below the radar within the local community since its founding. "We don't want to be this community's best-kept secret," Eric Sanchez said. "There's much less stigma about substance abuse, which is good because people are more open to coming to us for help. But the problem continues to grow as our community continues to grow, and we need to be prepared with the new facilities to address those needs.”

ADACCV hopes to have sufficient pledges in hand to move forward with groundbreaking for the project in Spring of 2015 with completion targeted for early 2016. Former Mayor Alvin New said “ This is one of those projects that we all need to support because these guys are down in the trenches doing the hard work to make our community a better place, and I for one plan on doing everything I can to see this to its successful conclusion.”

For more information about the project, contact Eric A. Sanchez, CEO, at 325-224-3481 or eas@adaccv.org. You may also visit the ADACCV website at www.adaccv.org.