Pubdate: Mon, 28 Mar 2005
Source: Sioux City Journal (IA)
Copyright: 2005 Sioux City Journal
Contact:  http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/945
Author: Joanne Fox, Journal, staff writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

DAHLEN HELPS ADDICTS RECOVER

Kermit Dahlen's senior profile from Lake Mills High School said something 
like, "hopes to be a counselor and work with kids."

"Who knew?" laughed the president and chief executive officer of Jackson 
Recovery Centers, who is celebrating 25 years with the leading provider of 
addiction services in Siouxland.

Dahlen came to Sioux City from Des Moines where he was employed with the 
state's Department of Substance Abuse.

"When the state began its licensing program, I did the first licensure 
visit for Gordon Recovery, so I knew Bill and Marienne Jackson from that," 
he said referring to the founders of the treatment center.

"It really was my lifetime professional goal to work with kids in that kind 
of atmosphere," he added. "When I heard they were looking for an executive 
director, I applied."

Dahlen took the job in 1980, not knowing that the early '80s would be the 
start of cutbacks for treatment programs. He did dispel the urban legend 
that he and Bill Jackson did not take a salary so expenses could be met.

"Money was tough back then," he admitted. "There were many weeks when 
myself and the bookkeeper would write one payroll check at a time while we 
waited for the money to come in. It would be more accurate to say I would 
delay my paycheck to make sure a staff member was paid.

"The legend about not getting paid -- Dr. Jackson did not get paid," Dahlen 
noted. "He volunteered his time until the later years when we finally put 
him on the payroll."

But Dahlen put an interesting spin on that, saying that he has been "paid" 
in a lot of different ways through his association with Jackson Recovery 
Centers.

"That's the other side of this business," he stressed, "the private support 
from the community has been outstanding."

Dahlen also gave credit to Dr. William "Bill" Jackson and his late wife 
Marienne, who founded Jackson Recovery Centers, Inc. in 1976. At that time 
Siouxland had many adult addiction treatment options but lacked adolescent 
services. The Jacksons decided the best way to meet those needs was to 
create a new not-for-profit company.

"I just think they wouldn't accept failure as an option," Dahlen mused.

The Jacksons located their enterprise at the former Gordon Memorial 
Hospital on West 19th Street. They used the name "Gordon" in honor of the 
osteopathic hospital that closed in 1975 when the two major hospitals 
accepted doctors of osteopathic medicine to their medical staffs.

Gordon Chemical Dependency Centers affiliated with St. Luke's Regional 
Medical Center in 1989 and expanded to include the services of the 
Siouxland Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. St. Luke's Gordon Recovery 
Centers grew in its service area via a merger with MIADAC (Mid Iowa Alcohol 
and Drug Abuse Council) to include Ida, Monona, Crawford, and Shelby counties.

In 1995, Dahlen became the driving force in the creation of the Women and 
Children's Center in Sioux City. His unique approach was to allow the 
children of the women who are in need of treatment to stay with their 
mothers in a residential setting.

"Most people thought we were crazy, but we all knew it was the right thing 
to do." Dahlen said of the agency's aggressive approach to addressing the 
problem of addiction. "I knew if we could help one mom stay sober and 
on-track, the impact on her children and the community would be incredible."

In 1998, it was determined that the best way to meet the addiction 
challenges in Siouxland was to again have Gordon Recovery become an 
independent, community-based not-for-profit, located at 800 Fifth Street. 
In April of 2002 Bill Jackson retired as medical director. Marienne Jackson 
had died in 1995. In recognition of their commitment to those who suffer 
from addiction, the Gordon Recovery Centers was renamed Jackson Recovery 
Centers, Inc. in 2002.

"Recovery" is actually a way of life for Dahlen, who called himself a 
"functional alcoholic" just one year before coming to Sioux City.

"It was ironic I was training abuse counselors and going home at night and 
drinking and hiding it, because I knew I couldn't be found out," he said. 
"I often told Bill and Marienne how grateful I was they took a chance on a 
person who had only been sober for one year."

In those 25 years with the same agency, Dahlen's duties have moved away 
from therapy to more administrative, but he continues to interact with both 
staff and clients.

"I want to make sure it's all about the people -- the staff, the clients, 
our board. When I first came here, I did facilitate some group therapy," he 
explained. "Now, I still make time to spend time with the patients and 
watch them get better."

One success story Dahlen shared concerned a woman who used the recovery 
center in 1980.

"I received a Christmas letter from a woman patient who used our services 
on West 19th Street," he said. "She said she had been sober ever since, was 
now married with children and just wanted to share her gratitude for what 
we did for her."

He said with a nod, "That is the best reward you could ever have from this 
job."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom