Sunrise House: from monastery to safe haven and treatment facility

Lafayette - Addiction. It’s an ugly word and its companions are no better: despair, fear, poverty, crime, hopelessness. But for residents of Sussex County and the surrounding area, there is hope. That hope can be found on a hilltop above the intersection of Routes 15 and 94 at 37 Sunset Inn Road in Lafayette. Its name is Sunrise House. Visitors who drive up the half-mile long entrance road could be forgiven for wondering if they had arrived at an old-world style resort. Sunrise House is situated on 22 acres in an impressive complex that was formerly a monastery, and perhaps it is a resort of sorts - a place of last resort for people with addictions, a place to renew their hope, a place with a doorway into a new life. Sunrise House offers sanctuary and treatment for 108 patients under the care of nearly 200 staff members. The personnel include medical doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, behavioral technicians and aides, recreation staff, and food service employees. The facility operates like a small hospital with staff on hand all day, every day, throughout the year. “Addiction is a disease that strikes indiscriminately across economic, social, and racial lines,” said Dr. Philip Horowitz, Chief Executive Officer. Yet many sufferers and their families feel ashamed to admit to addiction, including alcoholism. They are reluctant to seek treatment, as they would with more “acceptable” diseases, he continued. Others believe that lasting results can only be achieved at a big-name facility far away from home. While such centers may treat the patient, they cannot address the sickness of the family that is inevitable with addiction. Sunrise House works with a patient’s entire family and significant others. Kieran Ayre, Chief Clinical Officer, is proud of the Sunrise House program. “It rivals some of the better known programs,” he noted. Horowitz added that an outcomes assessment by the State of New Jersey showed that Sunrise House has a much higher than average success rate when compared with similar facilities. Admission to Sunrise House is voluntary. The facility offers outpatient and inpatient programs of varying length, depending on the person’s needs. If an initial evaluation indicates the presence of a co-occurring condition (either medical or psychological) that would interfere with addiction treatment, the person will be referred to an appropriate doctor or center to address that condition before admittance. Sunrise House has relationships with many facilities nationwide that can treat such co-occurring conditions or even accept addiction patients when Sunrise House is filled to capacity. In addition, although the role of Sunrise House is primarily for treatment rather than education and prevention, it does provide chemical and mental health counseling services to eight private secondary schools in New Jersey. What Sunrise House offers Sunrise House was built as a Franciscan monastery called Christ House in the early 1950s, and Mother Teresa visited it briefly in the 1970s, said CEO Horowitz. The 87,000-square-foot complex was purchased by a New Jersey businessman in 1983 and donated as a refuge and treatment center for individuals and families suffering from substance abuse and dependency. It has no religious affiliation. All programs at Sunrise House are guided by the principles and traditions of 12-step recovery as well as medical and social research. Patients are treated with respect, compassion, and kindness in a structured environment that encourages self-discipline … and hope. Sunrise House can serve 15 people in the detoxification unit (where all newcomers spend the first week). The longer-care units can accommodate 33 adult women, 44 adult men, and 16 mothers with their children. There are special programs for the patients’ family members and significant others, as well as an intensive outpatient department for adults. An article next week will describe life at Sunrise House, including the “Mother and Me” program for women and their preschool children. No one is turned away from Sunrise House for financial reasons. Monetary support is available when needed through the state, the county, insurance, and various assistance programs. As a nonprofit organization, Sunrise House welcomes financial contributions, including donations in memory of a loved one. To make a donation, contact Warrie Howell, Chief Development Officer, at 973-383-6300 ext. 106. In addition to contributions by check or credit card, Internet users can donate by establishing GoodSearch as their search engine and designating Sunrise House as their beneficiary from among the thousands of nonprofits listed (see www.goodsearch.com). For each search, a penny will be donated to the designated charity. For more information about Sunrise House, call 973-383-6300 or visit www.sunrisehouse.com.