This will be the last of the Better Together blog series. We started months ago, and I cannot help but reflect on everything that has happened since it started, not just at BRC Healthcare, but in the world overall. I think the original intent of the series was to talk about the ways in which all of our efforts in the treatment space go together. We wanted to highlight how clinical work and the 12-step process augment each other, how science/outcomes can improve (not hinder) the treatment industry, and how we can all work together to combat this thing we call addiction.
As the team wrote, it became about more! We have all continued to battle COVID; we have seen anti-racism come to the forefront, and we have been through an election process that brought the largest voter turnout in recent memory. We have watched our staff, our clients, our families, and our friends struggle to make sense of the “new normal” together. We have seen the rates of overdose increase, suicides go up, and have worked to deliver help in ways that were not even on our radar this time last year.
I can speak personally that this has been a time of growth and struggle for me as I find myself not always knowing the answer or what to do or how to respond. I have done my best and have seen the team at BRC Healthcare stand on the front lines against addiction, coronavirus, racism, divisiveness, fear and uncertainty. I have seen them do it when they thought they had nothing left to stand against these things. I have watched them ask for help and watched them give it. And they have done it together.
At the end of the day, it reminds me what is good, what is real, and what is important. It is not the newest treatment modality, the best statistical modeling for our outcomes, or the team with the most credentials (though these things are important). It is our “human-ness” that pulls us all through at the end of the day. It is our willingness to stand in the gap for another human being, to honor (not fix) their struggle, and to show up each day willing to learn something new together. That is bravery in the face of fear and uncertainty.
As we close, I want to thank all of you that have followed along. I want to thank those of you who have reached out to ask the hard questions. I want to thank those of you who have called us to share your experiences in this “new normal”. Most importantly, I want to thank the team at BRC who are dedicated, brave, and unwavering in their commitment to stand in the gaps created by addiction, coronavirus, racism, divisiveness, fear, and uncertainty. I know so many of you out there are doing the same because you know the underlying truth. We all need each other, and we are fundamentally better together.