La Hacienda

Reunion Success and a BIG thank you!

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On behalf of the Alumni Services team I would like to thank everyone who attended and helped make the 2013 reunion a success. The bonfire meeting was back and a huge hit. We were all very grateful to have a real bonfire. We received a lot of positive feedback about the move back to May, and we could not have had more beautiful spring weather!

We had a sobriety countdown Saturday afternoon as part of the birthday meeting and there were 877 years of sobriety represented by those there! We gave a 23 year chip to one of our alumni and 11 desire chips on Sunday morning. Many celebrated their sobriety birthdays on Saturday.  Ernie, David and Marty were fantastic.  We are so grateful they told their stories.

 

The reunion is truly a team effort by too many people to mention. We are so grateful for all the help we received from staff, as well as our 25 or so community volunteers. So, THANK YOU ONE AND ALL for your contribution!

Family Program at La Hacienda

The family week program is available to all patients and their families and usually takes place as the patient is ready, generally 3^rd or 4^th week of treatment.  The La Hacienda Family Program staff points family members toward program information on the schedule and lodging on our web page under programs or for those without web access,  the team sends out a packet as needed with the same detailed information about family week and where to stay.  This contact with information and some guidance is typically made within the first 5 days of the patient admitting.   There is information about what to expect from your patient as well as common reactions family members may experience.  Below is a list of these common experiences for family.

1.       A tendency to keep secrets or avoid talking to staff regarding telephone communication between patient and family during treatment.

2.       A temptation to minimize family problems.

3.       Blaming staff of the program for the problems you are experiencing in your life.

4.       Resentment towards family member in treatment: “He/She’s getting help and I’m not!”

5.       A greater focus on problems that could wait until treatment is completed.

6.       Believing that non-chemically-dependent family members do not need a recovery support system.

7.       Resistance to attending family support groups, Al-Anon meetings or La Hacienda Family Program.

8.       Telling yourself that what you are experiencing now or what happened in the past is or was not that bad and that other people’s needs are more important.

With authorization to make contact in place, the Family Program Staff will start the ball rolling toward a rewarding experience for all invited guests. We look forward to the chance to be of assistance.

La Hacienda Continuing Care Department

La Hacienda’s Continuing Care Department links our patients to the next steps in their recovery once they leave treatment.  Our staff works closely with the case managers and other treatment team members to find the services that will meet the patients’ needs. We utilize a great number of resources - intensive outpatient programs, extended care facilities, therapists, and physicians.  We are continually researching and growing our network of professionals so we refer to those providers whose philosophy is compatible with what we do here at La Hacienda.  At La Hacienda, we know that one of the keys to recovery is what happens once someone leaves treatment.

The Continuing Care Plan is made up of three important components — body, mind, and spirit— so La Hacienda includes resources that address medical, clinical, and spiritual needs, in addition to 12 Step recovery groups and alumni meetings . Some patients need additional resources, for example, connections for college-based recovery support. The treatment team will help the patient set goals and determine a plan for staying on course after they have left La Hacienda. Finally, we conduct follow up phone calls with our alumni at one week, ninety days and one year after discharge. We check in with how they are doing and try to be a resource should there be any concerns that arise.

(Source: lahacienda.com)

A History of Healing, Happiness & Hope

If these hills could speak, the land where La Hacienda now rests would tell a captivating tale. Elizabeth Compton Joy, affectionately known as “Grandma Joy” was the first to pave the way to healing on our soil. From 1872 to 1920, Grandma Joy served as the local doctor in Hunt, traveling on horseback with her medicine bag.

In 1922, Issac and Elver Ann Zumwalt built a 15-room wooden hotel where La Hacienda now resides. In 1924, the hotel was devastated by a fire.  The family moved to the nearby town of Kerrville and sold the property to the Taylors.

For seventeen years, the Taylors farmed, built a blacksmith shop, and raised eight children together on 33 acres that included our hilltop. In September 1943, Nancy Taylor sold the acreage that she and her late husband (who died of a heart attack in 1941) had owned for seventeen years to a fellow named Claude David, or “C.D.” This magical crook of earth seemed ideal for a small, exclusive hotel.

B.N. “Pete” Schumacher was hired to construct the two-story stone building with a red tile roof that is still in use today. The first floor held an office and a dining room with a 130-person seating capacity. The second floor had twenty rooms with private baths and cross-ventilation.[1] This area is now known as La Hacienda’s “Therapy Row.” In 1946, the hammers and nails were finally put to rest and the name “Hill Top Hotel” marked the very same building where a new kind of magic is taking place today.

C.D. managed the property until 1954 when he sold the hotel to a man from Houston named J.W. Colvin. Named after Camille Bermann, owner and chef of Maxims in Houston, the Villa Camille resort was recognized for fine dining and internationally famous dishes. Eventually, the resort went private and access to the facility was limited to its members.  Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio are also said to have been guests at the famed facility that now hosts the La Hacienda Treatment Center.

In 1971, the Villa Camille hotel changed hands once again and was briefly called the La Hacienda Resort. In 1972, the word Resort changed to Treatment Center and since that time, visitors have done far more than playing cards and resting up.

The foundation of hard work passed down from the Taylor family lives on, as does Grandma Joy’s spirit of healing. Our founders, owners, physicians and staff consist of a small group of individuals who are passionate and dedicated to La Hacienda’s mission of treating patients and family members who are struggling with the disease of addiction.

Written by Jennifer King, www.jkingmarketing.com - 10/5/2011

(Source: lahacienda.com)