BRYAN INDEPENDENCE CENTER

Celebrating 50 years of making a difference

Since 1971, the Bryan Independence Center has helped several hundred thousand individuals overcome addictions. In September, staff, alumni and families celebrated the center’s 50th anniversary. It all started in the early 1970s, when the city of Lincoln was hoping to receive a federal grant to help address drunk driving, a problem that was gaining more attention. To be eligible, applicants had to have a substance abuse treatment program, so the former Lincoln General Hospital partnered with the Johnson

Institute, a pioneering treatment group in Minnesota, to begin the project. This local program was just the second of its kind, and it has grown to be a leader in treatment programs. In 1988, the

Independence Center was named one of the top drug and alcohol treatment centers in the nation, and it’s recognized as a Blue Distinction

Center for Substance

Use Treatment and

Recovery by Blue

Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. As the program began to take shape, Ron and

Paige Namuth became involved. The Namuths had started a grass roots recovery movement in the 1960s through their work with Houses of Hope, Alateen and Alatots. Ron was first hired as a counselor-in-training, and two years later, hospital administrators asked him to direct the program. In 1975, the Alumni Association began, and this continues to be a vital part of the Bryan Independence Center. “It got started because people who completed treatment still wanted to be part of the program,” Paige says. Many former clients went through rigorous group leader training, so they could continue being part of the recovery work at the center. “Everything Ron did was geared toward making them Alumni

Association members,” adds Paige. “That was the aftercare that was going to help them stick with treatment.” They organized events to help members have fun in a sober environment and build a community of support. Members put on plays, went camping and skiing, and headed to Brownville to spend the day boating. One year Ron and another counselor delivered more than 400 presentations in the community, and people from all backgrounds came in for help with addictions. In 1979, the program added more mental health services for clients, and the detoxification services unit opened. Two years later, specific programs began for youth and women. Duke Engel, who succeeded Ron as director in 1992, says these programs were essential. The center’s first permanent home was “We had discovered that our walk out rate with women was in the former Lincoln General Hospital so much higher than with men, and we realized we needed to do School of Nursing dormitory. something,” he recalls. “We saw there was so much more sharing and such important therapy that could happen when we tailored treatment for women.” In 1999 Jerome Barry took the baton to serve as director of the Bryan Independence Center. During that time, he focused on a major need — a new building. Since 1976, the program had been housed in an old nursing dormitory, and they often faced maintenance and building code issues. “I spent an entire year speaking to any organization or group of people that would listen to me talk about the center’s mission and accomplishments,” he says. “The way our employees and the community stepped up to donate to our cause was humbling, to say the least.” In 2014, Bryan Independence Center moved into its

During the 40th anniversary in 2011, former directors Ron Namuth, Duke Engel and Jerome Barry reviewed plans for what would become the new Bryan Independence Center three years later.

new home, which provided a welcoming environment with more space, confidentiality and client rooms that were closer to nurses’ stations. Current director Dave Miers, PhD, says the continuum of services provided sets Bryan Independence Center apart. Because they are a part of the medical center, they are able to treat patients who may be more medically fragile and can address medical needs that clients might experience while in treatment. “Physicians and specialists are right here at the Bryan West Campus to help patients and to ensure their safety,” he says. Recently, the treatment program moved under the umbrella of Behavioral Health Services. Although the care they provide hasn’t changed, this change has made it easier for staff to collaborate and train together, and it helps patients navigate the many services Bryan offers. Now patients can call one main number, which helps direct them to the services they need. Thousands of clients, coming from all over Nebraska and neighboring states, come to Bryan Independence Center every year. In addition, the intervention nurse program, which was started in 1980, helps more than a thousand people every year. Nurses visit patients in different hospitals in Lincoln who may need help with substance use. Bryan Independence Center often is referred to as “The Miracle Factory,” and for good reason. “It’s just a very special place,” says Engel. “It’s an amazing process. When somebody does get sober, and when somebody does get clean, it’s always a miracle.” Dr. Miers agrees. “I take great pride in leading this team, which serves clients who need help along their treatment journeys,” he says. “I know there’s hope, there’s help, there’s healing — because I see it every day here. It’s so wonderful to see clients make great progress in their recoveries. “That’s what motivates me every day.” n

Party celebrates 50th anniversary

It was all fun and games Sept. 19 when friends and family joined the Bryan Independence Center Alumni Association for a 50th Birthday party on Bryan West Campus.