Options Recovery Services

Options is celebrating the sobriety and success of our Fall Graduates on Friday September 4th and we are proud to invite you to attend. The graduation ceremony is an opportunity for the graduates to tell their stories, and for the community to celebrate their achievements. We hope you will be able to join the live broadcast via Facebook & Options Website http://optionsrecoveryservices.org/graduation/ September 4th, 2020 at 4:30 PM... Special thanks to our sponsor - St. Timothy's Episcopal Church Danville, California

Options Recovery Services celebrated the sobriety and success of Summer Graduates at our virtual graduation on Friday, June 5th 2020. Check out the full graduation video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5QB8Sm_OAV4

You are invited to join the discussion of responding to the pandemic in our community! Community Webinar June 24, 2020 at 1:00 PM Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/regist/2920163652703204365... Special thanks to event sponsors - Alameda County Behavioral Health and the Office of Ethnic Services

Options Summer Graduation is LIVE!

Options is celebrating the sobriety and success of our Summer Graduates on Friday June 5th, and we are proud to invite you to attend. The graduation ceremony is an opportunity for the graduates to tell their stories, and for the community to celebrate their achievements. We hope you will be able to join the live broadcast via Facebook & Options Website http://optionsrecoveryservices.org/graduation/ Friday June 5, 2020 at 4:30 PM... Thank you to our graduation sponsor St. Clement's Episcopal Church, Berkeley

Check out Paul McLeod’s BuzzFeed article about how Options Recovery Services is leading the nation in providing services to those most vulnerable during this pandemic.

The California Arts Council announced a grant award of $15,675 to Options Recovery Services as part of its Reentry Through the Arts program. With this support from the California Arts Council, Options will work with Berkeley Community Media to embellish its arts program offerings for reentry clients in Options’ recovery residences. Specifically, reentry resident clients are encouraged to participate in Options’ Reentry Through the Arts program to receive instruction and supp...ort in video and visual arts projects directly related to their recovery from addiction. Options Recovery Services was featured as part of a larger announcement from the California Arts Council of more than 1,500 grants awarded to nonprofit organizations and units of government throughout the state for their work in support of the agency’s mission to strengthen arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. The investment of nearly $30 million marks a more than $5 million increase over the previous fiscal year, and the largest in California Arts Council history. Organizations were awarded grants across 15 different program areas addressing access, equity, and inclusion; community vibrancy; and arts learning and engagement; and directly benefiting our state's communities, with youth, veterans, returned citizens, and California's historically marginalized communities key among them. Successful projects aligned closely with the agency's vision of a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Arts Council recognizes that some grantees may need to postpone, modify, or cancel their planned activities supported by CAC funds, due to state and local public health guidelines. The state arts agency is prioritizing flexibility in addressing these changes and supporting appropriate solutions for grantees. "Creativity sits at the very heart of our identity as Californians and as a people. In this unprecedented moment, the need to understand, endure, and transcend our lived experiences through arts and culture is all the more relevant for each of us, said Nashormeh Lindo, Chair of the California Arts Council. The California Arts Council is proud to be able to offer more support through our grant programs than ever before, at a time when our communities’ need is perhaps greater than ever before. These grants will support immediate and lasting community impact by investing in arts businesses and cultural workers across the state. Full press release from California Arts Council: http://arts.ca.gov/news/prdetail.php?id=313

Wendy Jones May 1, 1959 April 17, 2020 Wendy has been a key leader and friend at Options since June 2012, most recently serving as Options’ Director of Finance and Administration. Prior to Options, she worked as Human Resources Administrator at FedEx in San Jose....Continue reading

**Options Recovery Services Covid-19 Informational Notice** During the COVID-19 pandemic, Options Recovery Services remains committed to the people and communities we serve by providing high quality substance use disorder outpatient, intensive outpatient, testing, and housing services. Dr. Davida Coady founded Options on the premise that people and their families who suffer from substance use disorders who need our help are never turned away or forgotten, that our doors are... always to remain open and that people must get the help they need, when they need it most. The Covid-19 Pandemic does not will not separate us from these values. The updates listed below help to clarify the current state of our services provided throughout Alameda County. Options staff have transitioned to telehealth services, being provided remotely by skilled counselors and clinicians via video and audio conferencing at both individual and group levels. Options' Admissions Department remains open for new referrals from the community, including referrals for substance use disorder outpatient and intensive outpatient services, housing and referral services. We have taken all preventative and precautionary measures according to California Department of Public Health guidelines and have the capability to provide screening, intake and assessment via telehealth. Options staff are continuing to provide high quality substance use disorder services to all clients residing in our housing programs and have developed policies and procedures to protect our most vulnerable and at-risk clients. Options will continue to provide laboratory and in person drug testing as per contract with Alameda County Social Services and Family/ Drug Courts. For more information on how to stay safe in California, please visit the following link: https://www.cdph.ca.gov///Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx For information on how to stay safe outside of California, Please visit the following link: https://www.coronavirus.gov/ **If you think you have been exposed to COVID 19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider immediately for medical advice. For additional information or to speak with one of our staff, please contact our Admissions Department at (510)-666-9552.

Thanks to our good friends at Northbrae Community Church, All Souls Episcopal Church, St. Marks Episcopal Church, and Options Board of Directors and staff, Options clients who were in the Options recovery residences had a celebration of sobriety this Christmas. Northbrae Community Church started the tradition last year. They set out empty boxes under a Christmas tree at the church, and encouraged congregants to take a box home and fill it with gifts for residents in the Optio...ns recovery houses. Options Executive Director Tom Gorham gathered the gifts, took them to the houses, and led a Christmas celebration of sobriety at each house. This year the program grew to include gifts from congregants at All Souls and St. Marks as well. Options Board Member Sonja Tateo issued a blanket challenge, challenging other Board Members and supporters to knit a blanket for the children in Options new perinatal program at the Alice Street Recovery Residence. Over 40 blankets were donated! Enough to comfort the mothers and children in the program for years to come.

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM OPTIONS CLIENTS Nick B, recent Options graduate, "Hey everyone. I'm Nick, and I'm a dope-less hope fiend." You can watch the entire graduation speech on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UfoZ2tgdY18