 
The Women's Treatment Center
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breaking the cycle of addiction
mending the bonds between women and their children! December, 2009 - Issue 1
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TO MAKE A
SECURE DONATION, PLEASE CLICK BELOW
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Note: You will be directed to JustGive.org
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| Greetings! |
How beautiful is this season of sharing - with its opportunities for giving thanks. At The Women's Treatment Center, we are giving thanks to all those - like yourself - who share our passion, care and commitment to building stronger, healthier communities. This inaugural e-newsletter is another step forward in our effort to share with you updates of our multi-faceted programs and services. Here you will also find useful resources and information related to dr ug addiction and women. Please do give us your feedback. We wish you the best for the holidays and welcome you to the first issue! Enjoy reading!
 
Dr. Jewell Oates |
Building Blocks
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TWTC to open new unit to serve pregnant and post-partum women and their families
Thanks to a new three-year, $469,000 a year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, TWTC will open a new treatment unit for Pregnant and Post-Partum Women (PPW) and their children on December 15, 2009. The new PPW program is designed to help pregnant women who abuse drugs and/or alcohol deliver drug-free, healthy babies. It will also provide these women with the education and tools to stay off drugs and to address trauma-related issues that inhibit long-term recovery.
Comprehensive family-based services will help the mothers rebuild their relationship with their families. Services will include not only children in residence with their mothers, but also other minor children at home, the children's fathers, and the women's partners. The new PPW unit will serve 12 families at a time and is expected to serve 144 families over the three year funding period. Additional funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, will allow TWTC to expand the unit from 10 to 12. For additional information, e-mail pbroughton@womenstreatmentcenter.org
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Thanking BIG!
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 Parenting Program bolstered by generous $45,000 grant from Chicago Tribune Charities - Holiday CampaignMany many thanks to The Chicago Tribune Charities - Holiday Campaign, a fund of the McCormick Foundation, for its renewed support for TWTC's FY10 Parenting Program. Our Parenting Program is an integral part of substance abuse treatment for mothers who bring their children with them into residential treatment. Individual and group activities promote healthy mother-child relationships by helping the mothers develop an accurate knowledge base regarding child development and appropriate child-rearing practices. Our Parenting Program provided services to 137 women with 160 children in FY09 and expects to serve even more in FY10. We also thank other generous foundations that support The Parenting Program including the Topfer Family Foundation, the George Eisenberg Foundation for Charity, the Carl Hendrickson Foundation, the Col. Stanley R. McNeil Foundation, the Daniel F. & Ada L. Rice Foundation and the Relations Foundation. For more information, please contact pbroughton@womenstreatmentcenter.org
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 Thanks to Beautiful Beginnings for running a Kids' Holiday Drive
Customers at the Lincoln Park children's boutique, Beautiful Beginnings, have an opportunity to fulfill some of the needs of children at The Women's Treatment Center, thanks to a holiday drive initiated by employee Victoria Bercek. Ms. Bercek got inspired by TWTC's mission during her participation in a children's clothing drive this fall conducted by The Junior League, a long-time TWTC partner. Ms. Bercek decided to extend the drive by asking Beautiful Beginnings customers to consider a donation. Many thanks to both, the Junior League and Beautiful Beginnings for their initiative in sponsoring this children's clothing drive. For information on how to sponsor your own drive, or for a copy of our complete "Children's Wish List", please e-mail Sadia Qureshi at squreshi@womenstreatmentcenter.org
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| Outcomes and Impact |
 IDOC Director impressed by 0% incarceration repeat rate in TWTC's alternative sentencing program
The new Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) recently had the opportunity to witness first-hand TWTC's cutting edge alternative sentencing program run in conjunction with IDOC. During Director Michael P. Randle's visit, Dr. Jewell Oates, the Executive Director, shared with him the phenomenal outcomes of the program: of the 45 participants who have completed the program in the past three years, not one has been reincarcerated. Nationally, the recidivism rate for women is 58 percent.
The TWTC-IDOC 15-bed program is the only program in the state that gives women convicted of non-violent drug offenses the opportunity to live with and parent their children in a safe and secure environment while they complete up to the last two years of their sentence. During this time, the women engage in substance abuse treatment, parenting skill groups, and educational and job training programs.
Dr. Oates described how the extended program equips participants with the tools they need to sustain a drug-free life and the vocational and life skills they need to succeed once they leave. "The program benefits much more than the women and children," Dr. Oates said. "By building healthy attachments, strengthening family structures, and reducing recidivism, the program benefits entire communities and impacts generations."
Director Randle also viewed TWTC's teleconferencing system which enables women incarcerated in the Decatur Correctional Facility an opportunity to "visit" with their children in the Chicago area. A new bill, H.B. 1995, just passed by the Illinois House encourages IDOC to make video teleconferencing available at more locations and open to incarcerated mothers in other Illinois prisons. For more information, please contact our Recovery Home Program Manager, Renee Lee, at rlee@womenstreatmentcenter.org
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Giving Back
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 Recovery Home clients speak out for justice for incarcerated mothers
Two TWTC clients and mothers were among the featured speakers in September on a panel of mothers, children, and allies of incarcerated women. The panel was hosted by CLAIM-VISIBLE VOICES (Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers), a non-profit organization that provides legal and educational services to maintain the bond between imprisoned mothers and their children. The two clients are serving out their prison sentences in TWTC Recovery Home as part of the partnership between TWTC and the Illinois Department of Correction. The panel was part of a month-long art exhibit and public education program entitled "Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States" held at the University of Illinois, Chicago on August 24 to September 22. For more information, please contact our
Recovery Home Program Manager, Renee Lee, at rlee@womenstreatmentcenter.org
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Up Coming Events
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Join us and be inspired! The "Stars" will be front and center on May 5,
2010 when friends of The Women's Treatment Center gather at TWTC's first
"Breakfast with the Stars" to hear the TWTC stories of success and pledge their financial support. The "Stars" are
graduates of TWTC's treatment program who have maintained at least two years of
abstinence from drugs and alcohol. The
women will be featured in a video and several will speak in person. The free
fundraiser will be held in the beautiful Stock Exchange Trading Room at The Art
Institute of Chicago from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. A 20 minute networking session over coffee and tea starts at 7:30 a.m. If you are
interested in supporting TWTC by serving as a table host and bringing a group of 9 friends and
colleagues, or if you'd like to receive an invitation to the event, please
contact our Development Director, Patricia Broughton, at pbroughton@womenstreatmentcenter.orgMore information will be coming soon.
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Please contact our Development Associate, Sadia Qureshi, at squreshi@womenstreatmentcenter.org or at 312-633-4982 at any time with your suggestions, questions and comments related to our work.
We look forward to hearing from you!
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BREAKFAST WITH THE STARS! 