New Personnel Put a Fresh New Focus on Addiction Treatment at Endeavor House

KEYPORT, N.J. and KEARNY, N.J., Feb. 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Major changes in staff have added a new dimension to the growth of Endeavor House, which provides both drug free inpatient/outpatient treatment and medically-assisted treatment and counseling for drug addiction via several facilities including Endeavor House North in Kearney, Endeavor House South in Keyport, New Life Counseling Outpatient Center and Recovery Center, a transitional living facility.

One of the first significant moves came in August of 2011, with the addition of Dr. Christopher Johnston as medical director for all of the Endeavor House facilities. He also serves as the New Jersey medical director for Pinnacle Treatment Centers and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Johnston is a graduate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and he brings with him many years of experience providing care to New Jersey patients recovering from drug and alcohol problems.

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Johnston was joined by Dr. Evan Christodoulou, an ABAM certified psychiatrist.

"The addition of these two doctors to staff positions us to provide the best in class treatment to our clients," said Joseph L. Pritchard, who was brought on as vice president of residential treatment centers and acting executive director of Endeavor House last October.

Formerly vice president of Midwest operations for CRC Health Group, Inc., Mr. Pritchard was responsible for 21 clinics and residential treatment programs in 11 states representing over 16,000 patients, 900 employees and $110 million in revenue and $44 million in EBITDA.

In an effort to improve and streamline inpatient services, Endeavor House named Glen Ridge resident Jim O'Brien, MSW, LCADC, CASAC as coordinator of inpatient services at Endeavor House North in Kearny. Prior to his appointment at Endeavor House North, O'Brien was CEO and executive director at Maryville Treatment Centers in South Jersey. He was also executive director of Turning Point in Verona, NJ.

"Jim brings over 30 years of residential addiction treatment experience to us," notes Pritchard. "His management experience, track record and reputation within our industry will enhance our organization's credibility and industry leadership as well as our ability to serve our clients."

While acting as executive director at Maryville and Turning Point, O'Brien brought both programs their first CARF accreditations in sub-acute detox, residential services for persons with addictions and co-occurring disorders, criminal justice involved clients and specialized women's services. In between, O'Brien served as executive director of the Associated Treatment Providers Management Services Network, which provided the statewide training initiative to substance abuse treatment professionals at all levels seeking certification of licensure.

Vanessa Argueta has also joined as director of admissions at Endeavor House in Keyport, NJ. A resident of Weehawken, NJ, Ms. Argueta has spent her career as a certified psychiatric screener for a variety of reputable treatment facilities.

Following her graduation from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Argueta joined Care Plus of NJ working from Bergen Regional Medical Center. She advanced to become manager of the Behavioral Health Access Center and assisted in the transformation of the Access Center, which now receives and processes over 300 calls each day.

"As our business continues to expand, it's critical that we have experienced, compassionate professionals like Vanessa on our team," notes Pritchard. "Vanessa is highly respected in local circles, and has a proven ability to ensure that Endeavor House has the highest standards in admissions practices."

About Endeavor House:

Endeavor House offers a multifaceted treatment approach considering all aspects of addiction recovery. Their innovative programming includes a unique seamless approach to patient care with a variety of treatment components including detox, rehabilitation, transitional living, intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization. Endeavor House is a division of Pinnacle Treatment Centers. Pinnacle is one of only a few organizations that offer both drug-free and medically-assisted treatment and counseling for drug addiction to more than 10,000 adults at their 17 facilities.

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New Personnel Put a Fresh New Focus on Addiction Treatment at Endeavor House