For nearly 70 years, Livengrin Foundation has built its dedication to personalized, private treatment for addiction, rehabilitation, detoxification and healing on the bedrock of its motto – “Building Recovery Together” – and from its independent, not-for-profit status.
Christopher N. Francis, the President, CEO and Chief Clinical Officer for Livengrin for 20 years, is proud of its innovative role in the recovery community, how overcoming addiction of all stripes is priority No. 1 at Livengrin, and how that journey began when its doors opened in 1966.
“The wisdom of Livengrin’s clinical programming – how to approach things, our compassion, treating things from the disease-model perspective – has been passed down generation-to-generation,” said Francis. “What supports that, and helps us stand out, is that we are not-for-profit. We’re not looking for influxes of cash. That helps Livengrin make better choices.”
Making impact and inroads into health and recovery is Livengrin’s goal. Not money. With that, Livengrin has been able to act innovatively in the recovery field in its move from alcohol addiction to drugs and issue regarding mental health.
“Livengrin was one of the first in the area to recognize drug addiction as part of the disease without segregation,” said Francis. “We needed to treat everybody and remove the stigma of drug use. The same thing was true of mental health. Once upon a time, that was known as ‘dual diagnosis’ where addiction and secondary disorders such as depression and anxiety were treated apart from each other. Livengrin treated these things as co-occurring, and continue as such today.”
Medicated-assistance too — using prescribed medication such as the suspended injectable version of Naltrexone — to fight addiction is another point of pride for Livengrin.
“People need help, and we’re here to help them in whatever most effective way is possible and whatever drug comes along,” said Francis in consideration of the Philadelphia area’s wealth of Fentanyl, Xylazine and opioid abuse. “It’s trial-by-fire when it comes to those drugs and Livengrin is fortunate to have doctors here who are scientists on top of all research, striving for knowledge so to safely detox those in need, to deal with open wounds and all protocols.”
Beyond the physical and medical aspects of detox and recovery, Livengrin’s staff is a lived-in community of people – often veterans of these same jobs as those they’re caring for – who aid in the help of first responders in the medical, police, EMS and military fields, often in connection with employers.
“Our FRAT program is all about finding one’s cohort, someone to be with that they can trust and who has been in similar situations,” said Francis. “Our Work Force Professionals program was developed to help people who often don’t have the full 28 days to complete treatment. For them, we give access to phones, laptops and time to take care of daily work issues.”
Most recently, flexible, tailored calendars of programming are available to those who need meetings and rehabilitation sessions more suitable to their daily schedules (“no one’s treatment plan ever looks like anyone else’s”), and devotion to the LGBTQIA+ community have become part of Livengrin’s mission.
“We have created one of the only meetings in the Bensalem area for recovering members of the LGBTQIA community,” said Francis. “Also when someone comes in and identifies as a gender different from their birth, we go where they identify…. Young and old, Black and White, no matter what gender or identification – people forever sought those services, that level of support and Livengrin is here for them.”
Overcoming addiction at the level that the Livengrin Foundation has worked for nearly 70 years costs money. In consideration and maintenance of its not-for-profit status, Livengrin is doing what it has never done in the past: building a donor base.
“Despite being around since 1966, we have no significant donor base,” said Francis.
Francis is launching a digital campaign to put the word out there, making medical and business professionals, along with the public, aware of Livengrin’s continued good and innovative work in the overcoming addiction community.
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Sponsored content produced in partnership with Livengrin Foundation.
