History
Timeline
1960s
Helped Establish 1st Community Mental Health Center in NY State Following the passage of the Community Mental Health Center Act of 1963, CCHP staff, having established the Division of Community Mental Health at New York Medical College, played an important role in opening the Community Mental Health Center at Metropolitan Hospital.
Carried Out Cutting-Edge Research in Substance Abuse Treatment CCHP's innovative research, which looked holistically at both the individual and the societal factors contributing to substance abuse, resulted in new policy perspectives and clinical approaches for addiction treatment.
Promoted Neighborhood-Based Services In order to expand access to health care, CCHP worked to strengthen neighborhood-based organizations such as Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center and the East Harlem Redevelopment Project by providing extensive staff training on case management and information systems.
1970s
Made Interdisciplinary Primary Care a Reality At the heart of CCHP today is the model of interdisciplinary team practice for individuals and families first put into action in 1974. Physicians and clinicians from multiple disciplines work side-by-side addressing both the medical and psychosocial issues affecting each person.
Established the Early Childhood Development CenterDr. Nina R. Lief, with the support of the New York Junior League, translated child development research findings into parenting education curricula. CCHP established the Early Childhood Development Center in 1974 for both the general public and for parents with substance abuse histories.
Initiated Groundbreaking Treatment Protocols for Heroin Addiction At the forefront of recognizing the need for different types of treatment models to serve different patients, CCHP developed the first comprehensive treatment program for pregnant heroin addicts and their children. This treatment soon became available to pregnant women in other cities.
1980s
Pioneered Response to the Crack-Cocaine Epidemic Among the first to receive funding to address the impact of this epidemic on children, CCHP developed an infant-toddler school and a cadre of home-child aides to provide parenting training and early childhood education.
Developed Neonatal Withdrawal Assessment and Treatment Tool Doctors at CCHP created one of the earliest tools to easily and objectively measure the severity of a newborn's withdrawal from opiates. This index helped guide treatment for infants and reduce their hospital stays.
Addressed the Impact of Psychiatric Diagnoses Published in 1986, "Issues in Psychiatric Classification" drew attention to the extensive social and economic ramifications of diagnostic labels in areas such as health insurance reimbursement, education policies, public attitudes, and judicial proceedings. This effort was part of the discussion about revisions to the DSM, the standard guide for diagnosing mental disorders.
1990s
Integrated Vocational Services and Addiction Recovery CCHP promoted integration of vocational services directly into addiction treatment. Patients address work readiness, apply for training, learn how to find employment, mitigate workplace conflict and cope with addiction stigma, not as ancillary activities but as central features of the therapeutic process.
Responded to Managed Care Faced with the transition to capitation (fixed monthly reimbursement per patient regardless of the amount of care rendered), CCHP expanded its team practice format, streamlined record systems, and utilized new computer technology in order to maintain high-quality services while aggressively managing costs.
Participated in Nationwide Maternal-Infant HIV Transmission Study CCHP participated in a CDC-sponsored nationwide study and treatment program which identified the factors contributing to this route of HIV transmission and helped develop a set of actions effective in preventing it.
2000s
Received "Best Practice" Award for Family-Oriented HIV Care In 2008, CCHP was recognized by the New York State Department of Health as demonstrating a "best practices" approach to providing comprehensive health care to HIV-infected substance users and their families.
Developed Comprehensive Anti-Smoking Treatment Designed for persons with extensive smoking histories or an addiction in addition to tobacco, CCHP's innovative treatment protocol combines counseling, pharmacologic aids, group services and primary care monitoring.
Contributing to Health Care Reform In the ongoing struggle to extend health insurance to more families, David Hutson and Dr. Deborah Brotman serve on statewide task forces related to this effort. They stress that the CCHP model, by co-locating services in a team practice framework and incorporating preventive care as part of all services, reduces the number of visits and associated costs per family and limits overhead to 15 percent of direct costs--a sound model for the delivery of cost-effective health care to needy families.