Contra Costa County lauds Clayton treatment center’s efforts during fire
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY—Clayton’s Diablo Valley Ranch (DVR) is this year’s recipient of the Recovery Champion Award from the Contra Costa Alcohol & Other Drugs Advisory Board (AODAB).
The award recognizes organizations for efforts in enhancing and improving the lives of people in recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism.
DVR, a men’s residential alcoholism and addiction treatment program, was the first program launched by the Bi-Bett family in 1969. The Bi-Bett Corp. is a non-profit addiction treatment center serving Contra Costa, Solano and Alameda counties. The group treats about 3,200 community members per year, including more than 300 treated for a substance use disorder at DVR.
The AODAB works with the county’s Alcohol & Other Drugs Services division to assess family and community needs regarding treatment and prevention of alcohol and drug use problems, reporting its findings to the Board of Supervisors and the communities it serves.
SCU Lightning Complex Fires
AODAB board member Tom Aswad nominated the Bi-Bett Corp. for the 2020 award due to the group’s tireless work managing the program safely through the devastating SCU Lightning Complex fires in August. The fires impacted the Deer Valley zone, which was about five miles from the DVR facility.
The program evacuated the approximately 45 male clients quickly and moved them safely to a hotel in Concord while continuing to provide continuity in treatment.
“It’s important to note that these men who were receiving treatment at DVR were not simply ‘housed’ off-site during the fires” said Jaime Campos, CEO of Bi-Bett Corp. “Because of the hard work and dedication of our DVR coordinator and counseling team, an emergency action plan was initiated which allowed the continuity of counseling services while off-site during an emergency.”
Creative continuity plan
Program coordinator Chris Murray, who has been managing the facility for almost two years, was celebrated at the virtual awards ceremony for his creative continuity plan and the team’s ability to provide treatment while displaced.
“In the middle of the COVID pandemic, we found ourselves faced with a fire emergency,” Murray said. “Our team was effective at maximizing client safety and privacy while still finding a way to deliver meaningful treatment while off-site. This was possible through the combined efforts of management, our sister programs and our dedicated DVR staff.
“It truly is an honor to serve our community, and we take pride in putting our clients first,” he added.
Bi-Bett is well-established in the addiction treatment field and offers services such as detoxification, perinatal inpatient, outpatient DUI counseling and sober living environments. Campos noted that the group has been through a lot of changes over the last few years, including the sudden death of executive director Susan Cinelli.
“She was extremely dedicated to the mission of this agency, and she would be so deeply moved by the way Diablo Valley Ranch rose to the occasion during a time of emergency and adversity.”
For more information, visit bibett.org.