On July 21, Jaywalker Lodge joined with seven leading treatment centers around the country to host the first annual C.O.R..E. conference in Amelia Island, Florida. CORE, an acronym for “Clinical Overview of the Recovery Experience,” was launched to highlight “the critical importance of abstinence-based practices and 12 Step principles in recovery.” The three-day conference, which featured presentations by Solutions Program Director Dan Reed and two dozen other prominent speakers, attracted nearly 400 attendees from 21 states. In his talk, entitled The Therapeutic Benefits of Service, Dan Reed highlighted the Solutions service expedition trips, as well as the various local community service activities of the Jaywalker clients and staff. In addition, Dan was also featured as a keynote plenary panelist alongside Drs. Robert Mooney from Willingway Hospital and Dr. Judith Landau, innovator of the ARISE model of interventions. Bill Corbett of Corbett Business Consultant also hosted a workshop entitled “Heal the Healers.” Among others, the gathering featured author Christopher Kennedy Lawford, and attracted thought leaders and policy makers from across the industry. One of the highlights of the CORE conference was a series of roundtable discussions to address the impact of the Affordable Care Act and a trend towards medication assisted practices on the residential addiction treatment field. More than 80 organizations crowded the exhibit hall as sponsors of the event, and local members of the Florida recovery community joined the professional community on Saturday night to hear 12 Step circuit speaker Chris R. from Austin, TX share his experience, strength and hope.
