If you think Community Bridges is just a drop in detox on Van Buren in Phoenix or in Mesa…then read on. In the nearly 25 years of this agency’s history there have been some incredible things developing to meet the challenging needs of our community. The roots of this growing agency formerly known as the East Valley Addiction Council (EVAC) started with humble beginnings over 25 years ago by a determined group of volunteers who were on their own mission to help others overcome a life filled with despair, hopelessness, pain and disease.

That same crusade is going on today with more than 200 dedicated and hard working employees under the direction of their CEO, Dr. Frank Scarpati and an active Board of Directors. One service location eventually came to fruition in Mesa, but today Community Bridges is operating programs at 18 different locations throughout Maricopa County.

Dr. Scarpati shares, "the last decade of the organization has seen significant growth in our services but so has the demand for it as the Valley continues to grow. In the past three years, our dedicated clinicians have provided Emergency Crisis Care services at the East Valley Addiction Recovery Center (EVARC) and the Central City Addiction Recovery Center (CCARC) to over 88,000 homeless, indigent, and working poor men and women, while over 20,000 have received lifesaving Medical Detoxification treatment services at these two facilities."

Probably the greatest single expansion since the opening of the Center for Hope in 2005 is the comprehensive development of their outpatient continuum of care beyond medical detoxification. Operating at 8 different locations throughout the Valley, the Outpatient teams in Mesa and two locations in Phoenix utilize best practice recovery programs recognized by the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

Community Bridges is now providing Methamphetamine Specific Treatment utilizing a unique therapeutic treatment model developed by the Los Angeles based Matrix Institute. The Matrix Model consists of a minimum of 16 weeks of intensive individual and family treatment. Intensive & Standard Outpatient also offer cognitive behavioral treatment to those with addiction and co-occurring disorders and utilizes the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) to measure the appropriate level and intensity of care needed by each patient.

Community Bridges Peer Support Services is made up of recovering people from the community as well as former participants whom have graduated after completing one of their Crisis, Detoxification, or Outpatient Programs and have maintained ongoing sobriety.

The core of the program was developed by Johnny Casas and John Hogeboom to ensure each patient entering Community Bridges would have the ability to sit with a Peer and experience that level of understanding, direction, and promotion of Dignity that can be shared by two people with a similar experience. According to John Hogeboom, the Peer Support Program has grown since it’s inception in July of 2004 from three Peer Support Specialists to more than 25. "Whether assisting patients with placement or working in a group setting, Peer Support has become a key factor in all of our Clinical programs as well as with community outreach."

John Hogeboom, Clinical Director at Community Bridges also shares the importance of family support. "We know, from our own personal experiences, the only thing worse than dealing with a dependency issue, is watching a loved one struggle with relapse and recovery in a vicious cycle."

Dr. Harry Beaman, Chief Operating Officer, has played a key role in the development and expansion of family support programs. According to Dr. Beaman, these programs need to be flexible enough to provide quality care for those who have a family member in one of their programs and for the family member who has a loved one that has not yet entered into recovery. Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) is used to educate and support families by helping the family member or significant other capitalize on moments when the patient is ready for change. Parents are also encouraged to attend when their adult child is not ready for change as it is important to understand and recover from the emotional and financial devastation created by their child’s drug/alcohol addiction.

Community Bridges programs embrace the entire spectrum of services. Prevention Partnership deliver on-site services to schools, providing programs to students before, during, and after school. Kristen Polin, Director of Community Development, says our dynamic programs are "dedicated to teaching, mentoring and encouraging students to help them avoid substance use and to understand and believe they can have a bright, safe, healthy future even if they are working their way out of challenging situations." Each year these programs touch and change over 30,000 students, their families, teachers, school administrators, and support personnel.

 Dr. Scarpati is proud of all of these highly successful programs but when you watch him talk about the Center for Hope, there is a real sense of pride about how this program came to life. He shared that after three years of fundraising, two years of planning, and one year of construction, the Center for Hope finally opened in January, 2005. The Center is a national model "best practice" long-term residential treatment program dedicated to changing the lives of pregnant women with co-occurring disorders and saving the lives of their babies. The 20,000 square feet of living and learning space is home to 24 women and 32 children. "Our first baby was born in April, 2005, and 34 other healthy, beautiful babies have followed." Kimberly Craig, Director of the Center for Hope will tell you that number is always subject to change "at any moment".

Dr. Scarpati adds that their graduates are all in strong recovery, working, continuing their education, and practicing the skills learned at the Center for Hope to become and remain dedicated, nurturing, caring mothers and contributing members of society.  "We are so proud of them and our incredible staff who have turned the dream of the Center for Hope into a reality."

Community Bridges is a family sensitive, compassionate organization dedicated to saving lives through prevention, education, and treatment of substance abuse. Reach out if the need calls. Learn more about the programs at by logging on to www.communitybridgesaz.org or get right to the source with questions or additional support by calling the numbers listed below:

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