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Innovative health care for men in our community

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Innovative health care for men in our community

The Dimock Center offers a range of services unlike anywhere else. We continue to develop new programs that change and grow with our community. Dimock is also the largest provider of substance abuse and mental health treatment, including developmental disabilities, in Boston’s inner-city.

With integrated care, Dimock is able to provide a holistic approach and offer a continuum of services specifically tailored to men in recovery.  In addition to inpatient detox services and medical monitoring, the center also provides outpatient addiction and recovery services and mental health services, including outpatient psychiatric assessments, medication management and individual and group therapy.   

Our residential programs for men include: The John Flowers Recovery Home, providing substance abuse treatment and education for men 18 years and older; and Askia Academy at Dimock, a therapeutic community model that provides relapse prevention, confrontation management, peer evaluation, drug and alcohol education and individual counseling for men.

Gregg McAuliffe serves as assistant program manager at Dimock’s John Flowers Recovery Home and has been an employee for approximately seven years.  He has personal ties to Dimock, as his family members and friends have relied on Dimock’s Behavioral Health programs to get well.

McAuliffe gushes that he loves the work that he does. “I know when I’m working with these men that I really am making a difference in their lives,” he said.

The men who come to Dimock are here to better themselves and take control of their lives. Like McAuliffe, the employees who work with these men take their jobs seriously. Many of the employees of John Flowers Recovery Home and Askia Academy at Dimock have been in similar situations to the men they serve.

If you were to ask McAuliffe how many of the men that enter our programs have had thorough physical, dental or eye exams, he would tell you the number is quite small.  For this reason, Dimock offers a selection of diverse programs to help our patients and clients get on the path of wellness.

Our health services provide excellence in service to our residents, patients and clients who come to our campus for all of their physical and behavioral health-related needs. Dimock’s primary care providers focus on men’s health at every visit. In particular, screening for prostate cancer begins at age 40. Screenings can be done during the physical exam and by blood tests. We encourage our male patients to discuss their prostate health with their primary care physician. Together, patients and providers can determine the best way to screen for prostate cancer.

In addition to routine health care, Dimock also offers Community Care (HIV) Services. These services include free rapid HIV testing, counseling and peer support which all remain confidential.

The Dimock Head Start/Early Head Start and School Readiness programs are excited to announce that we will be partnering with a student from the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship to develop a program to increase male involvement in the lives of our children. We are now developing ideas for support groups that will take place from June 2011 until May 2012.

These groups will help create an environment to guide men toward identifying their strengths, as well as deal with the obstacles they may encounter in their roles as positive male figures in the lives of our children. The program will also help raise the participants’ self-confidence through workshops and social events. This program will seek sustainability by developing leaders within our program to continue to champion this effort in future years. Child and Family Services is also planning a special Father’s Day event for the men that are involved in the lives of our children.  

The Dimock Center brings compassion and care to your neighborhood. We are committed to long term recovery and provide men with the support they need to live successful, independent lives. Our years of service have given us a unique understanding of the people we serve and we continue to provide integrated health and human services care to residents of Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester and Mattapan.