Stop and Surrender Inc.
"Because Tomorrow May Be Too Late."
Stop and Surrender Inc. Annual Report
STOP AND SURRENDER, INC.
The mission of Stop & Surrender, Inc. is to provide a holistic approach to the therapeutic treatment concept. We continue to be driven by dedication to ensure that an increased awareness of addiction related concerns are addressed, as well as, social and economical advancement. It's our hope to establish a better quality of living for those participants who suffer from the disease of addiction.
Stop and Surrender is a spiritual community-based Drug & Alcohol Program which has been offering services to individuals affected with the disease of addiction since 1992. Stop And Surrender, Inc. develops an annual report on recovery and services that receive funds from the Community Behavioral Health (CBH), BHSI, and as a requirement of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The requirement directs the Stop And Surrender, Inc. to prepare an annual report on services and demographic data. Data in this report represents all adults that were identified with a diagnosis of substance abuse/dependence during July 2016 - June 2017, or reported an alcohol/drug related treatment concern at admission to the Stop And Surrender, Inc. Recovery Center.
During the fiscal year 2016-2017 Stop & Surrender, Inc. continued working with community advocates addressing substance abuse, alcoholism and homelessness that have impacted our neighborhoods and communities. Stop & Surrender, Inc. has worked diligently to improve its relationship with the recovering community and agencies such as Deliverance Evangelistic Church, COMHAR, Inc., Empowerment Resources Associates, Black Women Health Alliance, Fairmount Treatment, North Philadelphia Health Systems, SW NuStop, Guadenzia, Divine Light, Juniata Community Mental Health, Quality Health Care, the Consortium, JEVS, the Philadelphia Court System and the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, just to name a few. These agencies strongly support Stop & Surrender, Inc.'s mission and make referrals to our program on a regular basis. We also work with the Office of Addiction Services (OAS) in an effort to address the underserved and those individuals in crisis seeking treatment and recovery.
Stop & Surrender, Inc. continues to develop its clinical operations by continually recruiting, training and mentoring professional staff that is sensitive to the needs of our program participants. Stop & Surrender, Inc.'s commitment to provide high quality services to its program participant is the hallmark of our passion.
STOP AND SURRENDER, INC.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
Stop & Surrender, Inc. operates on a calendar year from July 1 through June 30. Annually at year?s end, the Executive Director and the Management Team analyze the agency's progress towards its prior year identified goals and objectives. Analysis includes input received from all stakeholders over the year, including program participants served, families, support communities, state licensing agencies (CBH), payors, staff, external organizations and the community at large. The Agency receives input in various ways including but not limited to licensing and credentialing reports, documents retrieved from the agency's Suggestion Box and Participant Satisfaction Surveys, Family Satisfaction Surveys, Significant Other Surveys, that are made available to program participants, , families, staff and visitors, verbal communication and other funding source written audits. Results are reflected in a document called Achievement of Goals which is included in Stop & Surrender's Annual Report. The data collected is also utilized to help the agency develop goals for the coming fiscal year. Stop & Surrender's Annual Report is made available to the public via local newspaper announcement and is available on-site.
STOP AND SURRENDER, INC.
Message from the Executive Director
Stop & Surrender, Inc. sets the direction and priorities for the agency's comprehensive system of addiction services through open communication with staff and program participants. We strive to support the restored health, sustained recovery, and active reintegration into family life for all program participants, families, and neighborhoods ravaged by substance abuse in Philadelphia.
At our facility you will find passionate and caring staff that will provide information about the substance abuse, the recovery process, available support systems, housing referrals and trauma care including information about the variety of treatment options available. This includes information about our services, as well as a directory of other services available across the region.
Today's dynamic world still poses challenges as people work to secure a better tomorrow. Stop & Surrender, Inc. continues to provide quality treatment to program participants to help them meet those challenges. Today, as a growing organization we are planning for tomorrow by focusing on six (6) key areas:
- Continuing the growth and involvement of our community presence
- Continuing to provide best practices training and staff development activities
- Enhancing our respect for and expertise in Cultural Awareness
- Positioning our organization to remain in business with continued success.
- Advance our knowledge and understanding about advancements in new recovery treatment practices
- Provide an integrated or holistic perspective of recovery evidence-based practices that accurately define recovery services
At the heart of all of our plans are our program participants. It is about researching, refining, improving, developing and growing to better serve the community. In fiscal year 2016 - 2017, Stop & Surrender continued providing holistic services for individuals and families confronted with substance abuse and its related issues. We have improved and enhanced relationships with the reviews by the Network Improvement and Accountability Collaborative (NIAC) as well as through onsite clinical trainings by both CBH Personnel and our own professional and certified trainers.
In 2016 - 2017 Stop & Surrender will continue to provide best practices Outpatient Treatment Services and Supportive Housing for at-risk populations through our relationship with Simmons Youth Development Guide. We maintain an on-site collaborative relationship with the faith based community in support of our agency's ability to better serve the specialized needs of this undeserved population.
July 29, 2017
Erwin Warfield, President/Executive Director
BUILDING ON OUR STRENGTHS
We are building on our achievements and increasing our program services by refining our portfolio of business operations through collaborations, joint ventures, in-house trainings and, strategic thinking outside of the box.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The President of the Board is Mr. Erwin Warfield; the Vice President/Secretary is Ms. Rhondell Warfield. Officers include:
Senator Shirley Kitchen
Sharif Street
Rhondell Warfield (Personnel Management Committee)
Latoya Warfield (Finance Committee)
As an organization Stop And Surrender, Inc. does not have shareholders and an organizational chart appears later in this document.
EMPLOYING TECHNOLOGY TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE
We continued with investing aggressively in modern technology that supports our ability to assess, evaluate, analyze, and continually improve our documentation and service offering. Stop & Surrender, Inc. thanks all of the agencies that have offered and given their support during the fiscal year 2016 - 2017. We continue to seek your support throughout the fiscal year 2017 - 2018.
FINANCIAL RESULTS
During the fiscal year 2016 - 2017, we continued building on our tradition of increased financial strengths and stability. Although government subsidies and entitlements for individuals suffering from substance abuse have been reduced and in some cases eliminated, our revenue increased approximately 9.5% above the previous year which is largely due to the increase in our retention efforts. However, Stop & Surrender crisis intervention component in an effort to increase our outreach commitment and better serve its program participants efficiently as a direct result of the increased revenue. Stop & Surrender, Inc. will continue to advance forward despite the sustained stressed economy and we will persist in providing a high quality of treatment to the program participants of Philadelphia, Pa. and surrounding counties.
We close by emphasizing Stop & Surrender, Inc. is at the strongest point in its history.
MOVING FORWARD
To ensure the continued mission of its programs Stop & Surrender will continue to make whatever changes are necessary to remain an effective force in the behavioral health field. The past year saw extensive efforts by administration, operations, and direct care personnel to adequately and efficiently prepare Stop & Surrender for the challenges of the city's Recovery Transformation Initiative. Stop & Surrender, Inc. is now firmly committed to the philosophy, concepts and implementation to this project.
As a managed care organization we continue to favor time limited standardized models that target concrete behavioral symptoms and have positioned ourselves to be innovative in our service offerings. Our Outpatient Program has embarked on an aggressive marketing effort to stabilize and increase the number of program participants served from the neighboring communities. We have also aggressively implemented outreach components that immediately identify those seeking recovery, no-shows or missed appointments. Staff has been trained to monitor attendance daily and reach out to individuals who are inconsistent in their commitment to recovery in an effort to provide encouragement and supportive interventions.
We are proud of our program's growth and development over the past year and are looking forward to keeping pace with the ever-changing needs of our program participants. As mentioned previously, the coming year presents new opportunities for the recovery process and rehabilitation through careful strategic planning, excellent collaboration with recovery houses, community stakeholders, dedication, and team work among all staff and the diligent commitment of our President/CEO.
Stop & Surrender is here to meet the needs of program participants through its diversified program offerings, services and a continuum of care philosophy. Our intake, assessment and referral unit is the entry point of service. Each program participant has an initial comprehensive assessment is conducted utilizing a battery of assessment instruments such as a Comprehensive Behavioral Evaluation, the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and the Pennsylvania Client Placement Criteria (PCPC). Some program participants may be referred to other agencies if determined inappropriate while others will continue on in our Substance Abuse & Recovery Outpatient Program to begin their treatment.
THROUGH OUR DOORS
Those presenting themselves for treatment this past fiscal year were primarily addicted to crack cocaine (46%), which represented an decrease of 15% from last year. Alcohol as the primary drug of choice remained steady at 27%. There were 82 or 27% of program participants interviewed reporting alcohol as their primary choice of drugs. Twenty-Six percent (26%) or 78 participants reporting addictions to opiates such as heroin, which shows a decrease of 14% from last years data; twenty-five percent (25%) or 78 participants reported marijuana as their primary drug of choice representing an increase of 13% from the previous year. Over 22% of the program participants entering our doors had problems with other drugs such as methamphetamines and prescription drugs; this percentage has continued to increase during the fiscal year 2016 - 2017 reporting period. The majority of the program participants interviewed reported using illicit drugs in various combinations such as alcohol usage along with cocaine, heroin or marijuana.
The number of duplicated program participants served during fiscal year 2014 - 2015 increased by 10% from 65 in 2016 - 2017 to 71. There should be no doubt this was the result of the managed care organization?s continued denial of services to program participants having previously accessed to treatment. Fifteen percent (15%) of the population or forty-four (44) were between the age 18 - 24 (an decrease of 5%); twenty-five percent (25%) of our population or 73 program participants were between the ages of 25 to 34 (a increase of 10%) while fifty-one percent (51%) or 150 program participants were in the 35 to 50 years of age bracket (an increase of 19%). Nine percent (9%) of the population or 18 program participants were fifty years of age and older.
The participant population consisted of 83% African American which represents an increase of 4% from the previous year. 10% Caucasian and 6% were Hispanic and .01% other. The Caucasian population is steadily increasing while the Hispanic population showed a seven percent (7%) decrease. Sixty percent (60%) of our population was male and forty percent (40%) were females. The number of females represented an increase of 12% from the previous year?s data analysis.
Achieving abstinence and maintaining a meaningful recovery are two separate and equally difficult issues. Without the ability to address the contributing factors of homelessness, employability and anti-social behavior the participants in our Outpatient Program cannot maintain the progress made when they've achieved that the initial step of abstinence. Unresolved underlying issues such as interpersonal trauma, violence, generational violence, substance abuse and criminogenic patterns, if not adequately addressed, will eventually lead to a return to addiction. Our participants must learn to develop the skills needed to sustain recovery, maintain pro-social attitudes and lead a productive lifestyle. There is no magical timetable for this process.
Public attitudes toward addiction have deteriorated dramatically in the past several years. Over the past two decades, addiction has been restigmatized and demedicalized. Our goals must be to portray addiction as a problem with viable solutions; to present strength based best practices; to counteract images that portray recovery as ineffective, objectify, and demonize people in treatment; to enhance the variety and availability of treatment and recovery; and to remove environmental barriers to treatment.
To improve our outcomes, we will be implementing gender specific programming and a family services component that mandates the presence of family members in scheduled re-unification sessions. Program Participants who complete our offerings are invited to return to the facility to share their experiences with other program participants and to find an open system of support from our staff.
What distinguishes Stop & Surrender from other treatment approaches is the social learning environment through the purposive use of the community as the primary method to bring about needed social and psychological change in the individual. Program Participants will become more responsible for themselves, for one another and for the community as a whole. They will recognize that there are consequences of their addiction, not only to themselves, but to their families, friends and the community.
Once in the community we continue the transitional/continuum of care process to work with the individual for an extended period of time to assist and ensure that individuals have the foundation to continue being successful in the community as drug free productive members of society and have a positive impact on their families and the greater community. By being productive members of society the individual will contribute positively to the family, the community and be a role model to others. We encourage program participants to allow us to continue to provide support by returning to the facility periodically and participating in program activities geared towards graduation.
We fully organized and began meetings with the Stop And Surrender Alumni Association. We have elected officers, by-laws and norms for participation in the association. At the time of this report the Association was planning a 4thof July outing and a trip to Dorney Park Amusement Center for all eligible participants. We encourage Alumni to role model pro-social behaviors and to support the newcomer or the struggling participant wherever possible and practical.
Program Overview and Summary of Goals for Fiscal Year 2016 - 2017
Stop & Surrender, Inc. continues to be an agency providing comprehensive addiction and transitional living services to the neediest citizens of Philadelphia and surrounding areas. Changing attitudes towards treatment have left a void in the process of recovery in which individuals will continue to fail without sufficient time in an environment that promotes a lasting change in ideas, attitudes, and behaviors. The recovery process must be supported with a strong and meaningful foundation based in social learning and personal responsibility.
A. Administration
Over the past year Managed Care has not adequately compensated for the needs of our population. We continue to challenge ourselves with innovative approaches to treatment and focus our attention on treating our program participants who are with us for a shorter period of time. Philadelphia County during the past fiscal year has adapted what it calls Recovery Transformation. Philadelphia continues to acknowledge the research that speaks to the effectiveness of outpatient treatment followed by transitional and a continuum of care service delivery. Stop & Surrender, Inc. focused its attention on enhancing our clinical programming through a revised curriculum which includes Family Services, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Thinking for a Change and the Social Learning Theory. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events. The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to feel and act better even if the situation does not change. Thinking for a Change is an innovative approach to problem-solving for individuals who need to think before reacting. Social Learning Theory is that personality represents an interaction of the individual with his or her environment. In other words, change the way the person thinks, or change the environment the person is responding to, and behavior will change.
B. Clinical Services Overview
This past year saw many advances in the overall quality of the clinical services offered at Stop & Surrender, Inc. However, there were also many areas of the clinical component which had to be addressed through discharge and termination of employees who did not meet Stop And Surrender?s clinical standards. A new and unique clinical team took leadership of the Outpatient Program and were/are eager to learn new concepts as presented by NIAC and CBH's Technical Assistance Training component. Increased trainings in core competencies were made in the implementation of individualized structured recovery models in the recovery program. We look forward to the training series being presented for clinical personnel by CBH. The Outpatient Programs received full licensure from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH).
C. The Continuous Quality Improvement Process (CQI)
The main focus of the CQI Program this fiscal year was to improve the skills levels of the participants and the data collection methods and continue to enhance the quality of resident care in all programs and departments. The CQI Program had two primary areas of focus. The first is the development of a well-defined Performance Improvement Plan. The plan is to serve as a blueprint for a programmatic effort to monitor, improve and evaluate the quality and appropriateness of the clinical care rendered, and it identifies opportunities and/or areas in which resident care can be reach the highest quality level possible. The second area is the consistent comprehensive implementation of structured tools designed to evaluate, support, and guide the Performance Improvement activities of Stop & Surrender. The focus for the coming year will be to continue to meet regularly and to monitor clinical services using the CQI process, identify trends and develop strategies to improve services and meet the needs of our resident population.
D. Human Resource
The Human Resource component refined its information collection methods by developing a data base that retrieves and organizes information in an efficient and cost effective manner. Stop & Surrender hiring process has been improved to include reviews by management personnel and direct care staff before the actual hiring of the potential new employee/contractor. Employee and Contractor's initial orientation is a formal process over a 40 hour period and includes interviews, tours, trainings and information in areas such as employee benefits, expectations, ethics, two (2) hands-on policy and procedures trainings in their particular program for which hired, fire safety and prevention, use of fire extinguishers, physical plant safety and security, health and safety, etc. The department coordinates and tracks all staff training and credentialing within the agency for its employees to ensure all regulatory requirements are met and to provide the skills necessary for employees to be effective in their jobs. Personnel development was also highlighted this year. Staff competency was improved both by enhancing the training program available to existing staff and by standardizing the qualifications of all clinical positions to meet the agency standards. The goals for the coming year are to implement quality care through consistent service delivery and to enhance staff competency through regularly scheduled trainings and conferences. Unfortunately, several employees were terminated due to poor performance.
E. Fiscal
The Finance Department continued to closely monitor the finances of the agency in an effort to remain fiscally stable. The focus for the fiscal year was to stabilize and/or increase referrals from treatment providers in the Philadelphia and surrounding regions. In addition, our goal was to effectively market our services to the community-at-large and increase referrals from the Behavioral Health Special Initiative (BHSI) and Community Behavioral Health (CBH). We have enhanced our collaborations and relationships with agencies throughout the greater Philadelphia Region in an effort to increase and maintain program participant census. Our goal continues to be quality programming for those suffering from addiction and abuse. Additionally, we will explore the opportunities that exist in treating individuals with co-occurring disorders in Philadelphia County. Financial Information is attached to this report.
We are excited and proud to report significant progress in acquiring credentialing by private insurance companies in the Philadelphia Region.
BLACKRIVER FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.
6100 W JEFFERSON STREET
PHILADELPHIA PA 19151
Office (215) 877-2171 ? Fax (215) 754-4666
Thursday, August 31, 2018
Board of Directors/Officers
Re: Stop and Surrender, Inc.
2400 West Lehigh Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19132
We were engaged to audit and prepare the accompanying balance sheet of Stop and Surrender, inc. as of June 2017 (period of July 2016 to June 2017) and the related statement of income/expense and changed in retained earnings for the year ending June 2017. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Stop and Surrender, Inc?s management. Our responsibility is to express and opinion on these financial statements based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing principles (GAAP). Those principles require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. i.e. all bank statements, verification of check written, payroll accounting records, expense invoices, etc. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
For the period under audit, there were sufficient accounting records maintained by Stop and Surrender, Inc?s management to support business purpose of a substantial number of disbursements. Stop and Surrender, Inc?s management was able to provide documents to substantiate their expenditures.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Stop and Surrender, Inc. as of June 2017, and the results of its overall accounting operation for the year then ended: conform to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.
Should you have any questions regarding these documents or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Best Regards
Kenneth Booth, President/CPA
cc: Erwin Warfield