Substance Use Disorder Treatment During a Pandemic: A Conversation with TROSA

Today’s post is a conversation between Jamie Markham (JM) and Kristen Rosselli (KR), Chief Operating Officer at TROSA. We’ve been getting a lot of questions about how TROSA and other substance use disorder treatment programs are operating during the pandemic, so I thought I would go straight to the source to learn more. This post should not be viewed as an endorsement of TROSA in particular—it just happens to be one of the largest programs in the state, and the one about which I get the most inquiries. As always, my goal is to share up-to-date information so you can make informed decisions for the defendants, clients, and cases that come before you. JM. Many of our readers have heard of TROSA, but for those who haven’t, can you give an overview of the program? KR. TROSA was founded in 1994 by Kevin McDonald. We are a state-licensed, multi-year nonprofit residential program for adult men and women with substance use disorders. Our program is cost-free and residents do not need insurance. We serve a daily average of 400 residents at our Durham campus and provide free comprehensive services, which include: housing, meals, and all essential daily care items; full health services; counseling and daily therapeutic activities; experiential vocational and life skills training; education classes and professional development opportunities. Services are provided by licensed and certified treatment professionals, program graduates, peer leaders, and trained peer support specialists. TROSA employs evidence-based therapeutic activities and practices in its structured two-year program. As part of [...]