Lexington Center for Recovery

Lexington Center for Recovery began as The Weekend Center on October 27, 1982. Four brave individuals already working in the treatment field began a small outpatient alcoholism treatment clinic in a 4-room office on Lexington Avenue in Mt. Kisco. Their mission was to provide quality services to anyone who needed treatment during the daytime or evening, during the week or on the weekend. At the time, outpatient alcoholism treatment was unavailable in the evening or on weekends. Many people were turned away because they didn't have insurance or Medicaid and couldn't pay a minimum fee. The Weekend Center was born as an innovative solution to the policies of limited access to treatment. This vision of community-based service delivery to anyone affected by the tragedy of substance abuse remains the hallmark of our agency today.

During each decade of its development, the Lexington Center for Recovery has been in the forefront of implementing successful new programmatic solutions to underserved populations. The 1980's was a period of development and consolidation in Mt. Kisco, which was the original clinic site of our organization as well as the administrative headquarters for the agency. We began a Children of Alcoholics program, one of only two in the County at that time. We also initiated the first Adolescent After-School Intensive Program in the County to serve both adolescent users and their families.

During the 1990's, the agency's horizons expanded beyond Mt. Kisco to a population that was underserved across the nation - substance-abusing women with children. In May 1990, we started the first Generations program in White Plains which was not only the first women's program in Westchester but also served as a State-wide treatment model. The success of this program led to a CSAT grant and the birth of a second, larger Generations program in Yonkers in 1993.

This decade was also the beginning of our HUD-funded Shelter Plus Care programs which today provide permanent housing and case management to 48 chemically dependent homeless families in lower Westchester and 15 veterans from the VA in Montrose.

In 1997, we were one of only 12 agencies in the State to start an intensive case management program for chronic substance abusing families known to Child Welfare whose children were at risk of foster care placement. Today, we continue to be the only agency in the County providing such services to at least 60 families a year.

At the end of the decade, we were asked by the County to begin a Chemical Dependency Assessment Unit at the Yonkers Child Welfare Offices as part of a new initiative to address the problems of welfare reform. Soon we started similar units at the Peekskill and White Plains Child Welfare Offices. Because that program was so successful, the County asked us to work as a team with the Department of Probation to begin a new Older PINS Diversion Program in order to address the influx of older adolescents and their families entering the Family Court system. Following the success of the Older PINS Program, we were asked to begin offering assessments to the 12 to 15 year old PINS population.

During the first decade after the year 2000, Lexington's expansion has taken on a new dimension:

April, 2003 - Lexington assumed the operation of the Outpatient Substance Abuse Clinic Treatment System in Dutchess County which was formerly operated by St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie. The system is composed of 5 clinics at different locations throughout the County.
June, 2004 - Lexington assumed the operation of the New Rochelle Clinic in Westchester which was formerly operated by United Hospital. This Clinic provides both day rehab and clinic services to anyone needing substance abuse treatment in that area of the County.
October, 2004 - Lexington assumed the operation of the Dutchess County Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program in Poughkeepsie. The program has a capacity of 250 clients and operates 7 days a week.
February, 2007 - Through additional funding, the Westchester County Chemical Dependency Unit expanded its service configuration and is now known as the Co-location Project. A similar Co-location Unit was established at the Poughkeepsie DSS offices.
June, 2007 - Lexington was one of 14 programs statewide to receive a grant to provide evidence-based treatment services to substance abusing adolescents in Poughkeepsie. This unique demonstration program is an innovative approach to address the difficult problem of treating adolescents. This program is known as MAPS.
September, 2007 - A consortium of agencies including Westchester County Departments of Community Mental Health, Social Services, and Developmental Disabilities, Andrus Children's Services, and Lexington Center was awarded a 5-year Federal grant to improve child welfare outcomes for children living with adult substance abusers in the County. Lexington will be providing clinical case managment services for the most at-risk families served by the Project. The project is called Building Bridges.
October, 2007 - The Poughkeepsie Methadone Program was reaccredited by the Council on Accredition (COA).
December, 2007 - On December 17, 2007, the Airmont Clinic in Rockland County started operations. This Clinic includes a clinic and a day rehabilitation program.
April, 2008 - On April 7, 2008, the Haverstraw Clinic in Rockland County started operations.

In the new millennium, The Lexington Center for Recovery continues to grow and take new risks. Even as we continue to expand into new areas, we will always follow the thread of the original mission developed 25 years ago � the needs of those affected by substance abuse should be addressed by a holistic approach to service delivery with the recognition that successful recovery comes within a loving circle of support and respect.