El Rio (The River)
"When you put your hand in a river; you touch the last of what has gone before, and the first of what is to come."
- Leonardo Da Vinci
El Rio is a substance abuse treatment program designed to reduce reliance on incarceration as a response to drug addiction, as well as to strengthen the capacity of the criminal justice system to provide treatment. El Rio offers the highest quality treatment, including acupuncture, practical life-management skills, educational and vocational services, and an environment that exemplifies the possibility of living a productive, satisfying, crime-free, drug-free life.
Established in 1990 in the Bronx, El Rio was the first program in New York designed and licensed specifically for crack-involved individuals mandated to treatment by the courts, and the first intensive (all day) outpatient treatment alternative to incarceration. El Rio participates in the Bronx Treatment Court and the New York City Alternatives to Incarceration initiative, and is licensed by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services to provide outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why does a criminal justice organization provide drug treatment?
All recent data on men and women arrested in New York City (both for drug offenses and non-drug cases) show that a majority are in need of treatment for chemical dependency. There are also a substantial number of defendants who would, without an intensive treatment opportunity like El Rio, be detained pretrial and/or sentenced to jail or prison.
How does drug treatment work as an alternative to jail or prison?
El Rio is designed to accept referrals from judges, prosecutors, probation and parole officers, as well as community-based programs. Staff provide supervision to insure compliance with reporting and treatment conditions, and submit client progress reports to the court, probation, parole, district attorney, defense counsel, and/or other parties as specified in the release order. EL Rio uses a bar-coded attendance monitoring system that can be faxed daily or as requested to the referral agency and conducts frequent observed urine testing.
What is El Rio's treatment philosophy?
El Rio has a holistic treatment philosophy, which emphasizes both traditional educational, cognitive, and counseling treatment approaches, as well as non-verbal therapies such as acupuncture, nutrition, complementary medicine, medical screening, and art therapy.
How does El Rio use acupuncture?
El Rio offers auricular acupuncture to all clients. Acupuncture is used to help rid the body of toxic chemicals, including illicit drugs, and to reduce the craving associated with alcohol and drug abuse and addiction. Acupuncture treatment is provided daily and on demand by well-trained staff under the supervision of a licensed acupuncturist. El Rio was the first program to fully integrate acupuncture services into a full-service program, and continues to offer the largest, most comprehensive non-residential and drug-free detoxification, sobriety maintenance, and immune-enhancement services outside the City hospital system.
But acupuncture is not a cure for addiction, is it?
Acupuncture reduces the craving and stress associated with chaotic drug use, and is useful in opening the door to our clients' recovery. El Rio also addresses the practical realities of the road to wellness. Without meaningful jobs (requiring a range of vocational skills, including literacy) the world of drugs, including the lucrative crack trade, will not lose its allure. Through El Rio's vocational/educational component, we provide computer-assisted and classroom educational services, vocational assessments, and placement into job training programs and jobs-both during and after the treatment period.
Does El Rio offer HIV/AIDS Services?
Because the AIDS/HIV rate among prisoners is so high, and because drug users are often at highest risk of HIV transmission, EL Rio's activities are designed to enhance our clients' ability to protect themselves and their families from infection and illness. Weekly AIDS/HIV education classes and risk reduction materials, including condoms and dental dams, are provided.
What is the Course and Length of Treatment?
El Rio is open all day Monday through Friday. We serve two meals daily. Day treatment clients are involved daily in about five hours of varied educational and therapeutic sessions. Depending on treatment needs and court mandates, clients may spend anywhere from 4 to 40 hours per week in treatment or treatment-related activities.
Clients progress through five treatment levels, from Orientation/Detox through Aftercare, generally over the course of six months to one year. The program's phases enable a client to move from a relatively intensive day service (at least five hours a day, at least five days per week), and eventually to outpatient (one to two days each week). However, depending on relapses in sobriety or slips in criminal behavior, clients' phases can vary. Clients who do not progress adequately in outpatient treatment are recommended for transfer to inpatient detoxification or treatment programs.
What is a Typical Program day?
On a typical day, a client arrives for breakfast, goes to a morning meeting, receives acupuncture, attends vocational or educational classes, receives group and/or individual counseling, eats lunch, attends a support or educational group, participates in a ceramics or computer lab, and attends a closing meeting.
What specific activities are offered?
- Individualized assessment and treatment plan
- Individual counseling
- Acupuncture/herbal medicine
- Therapeutic and support groups
- "12-step" groups
- Educational presentations (subjects include chemical dependency and criminality)
- Vocational/educational assessment and workshops
- GED prep/basic education classes
- Culinary arts training leading to Food Handler's Certification
- Medical and STD screening/HIV and TB testing
- Basic health, nutrition, and HIV education
- Ceramics workshops
- Urine testing (observed)
- Evaluation/referrals for ancillary services
- Computer labs
Where is El Rio located?
El Rio (809 Westchester Avenue, Bronx, NY 10455) is in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, on Westchester Avenue between Prospect and Union, one block from the Prospect Avenue station on the #2 and #5 subway lines.
How do I contact El Rio?
Lenard Herbert
Program Director
El Rio
809 Westchester Avenue
Bronx, NY 10455
718.842.0500
fax 718.842.0971
lhebert@osborneny.org