By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer
The H4R Campus in Berlin opens today with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony and complimentary tours of the facilities. The campus will house four services devoted to recovery from substance abuse disorder and maternal health as well as 12-step meetings. JACK CHAVEZ/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Individuals recovering from substance abuse and uninsured mothers-to-be need all the support they can get to get by in this world and later today, the public is invited to the grand opening of a groundbreaking one-stop-shop for some of society’s most vulnerable, the H4R Recovery Campus in Berlin.
“It has been 15-hour days and a lot, a lot of work and prayers and loan and support from the board — Hope4Recovery. And we have a ton of community partners,” said founder Tish Ottey.
According to a press release, the campus, located at 10226 Old Ocean City Boulevard, will house the Grace Center for Maternal and Women’s Health, a nonprofit dedicated to providing services and programs to meet the needs of pregnant and parenting mothers; Worcester Goes Purple, an awareness project to engage the community in promoting healthy choices and preventing substance abuse; Hope4Recovery, the overseeing nonprofit that provides a safe, sober and structured living environment for those in recovery from substance use disorder; and Cove Recovery, an outpatient provider of substance abuse treatment and mental health services on the lower Eastern Shore.
“We felt like we could provide more by bringing in Worcester Goes Purple,” Ottey said. “We always wanted to have meetings on our campus. We were lucky enough to get Cove Recovery as another addictions counseling and mental health service. Which is desperately needed every day.”
Though there are other recovery resources in the area, Ottey said what’s truly remarkable about the campus is the breadth of services available.
“We have a treatment facility on site. Worcester Goes Purple is there and they help with resources, both education and financials. They help with getting birth certificates, social security cards, all the things that people in early recovery may not have but need,” Ottey said.
“We have a research center, packets for resources around the area. We tend to have classes in the back space, so (people can learn) life skills (such as) how to prep taxes. We’re bringing people in to help with those things.”
She added it wouldn’t be unusual for families going to the Grace Center to find value in other parts of the campus.
“The Grace Center for Maternal Health is for women who don’t have insurance. But commonly, some of their clients come with their baby’s father, and sometimes they have a substance use disorder. Sometimes (these things) go hand-in-hand.”
Ottey also stressed that the campus isn’t simply for those in early recovery.
“Individuals out in the community attending AA and NA, this whole campus is at their fingertips,” she said. “We’re not aware of anything around here that is that type of one-stop-shop to get help and resources.”
The opening ceremony will feature a ribbon-cutting at 3:30 followed by tours of the facility. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact Joann Manole at 443-513-4124.
This story appears in the print version of the Bayside Gazette on July 7, 2022.