Meridians Recovery

Sterling, VA 20164

(703) 434-9009

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Meridians House Sober Living for MEN

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last update 03/08/2020

ph: (703) 434-9009
Jim@meridiansrecovery.org

News

April 2013

Meridians Recovery Receives Generous Donation from LightSquared of Reston, Virginia

Tom Surface of LightSquared presents a generous contribution of dry goods and household items donated by fellow staff members. These items included much needed paper products, canned and dry goods, personal hygeine products and much more.

The staff and residents of Meridians Recovery are so grateful for the support shown in this month long donation drive. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Click here to learn more about LightSquared.com

June 23-24, 2011

Recovery at St. John's

Lynchburg, VA

Jim Gross and Lori St. Angelo complete The McShin Foundation Leadership Training and earned 16 CEUs each approved by NAADAC and SACAVA.

AA Memorial Day Picnic

May 30, 2011

Algonkian Park, Sterling, Virginia

Eric Wall, Meridians Recovery employee and Certified Recovery Coach enjoying the beautiful afternoon with his children Amanda and Jeremy by his side.

Youth Fest 2010

June 26th

Meridians Recovery Exhibit

Gemeinschaft Home

Thank you, Jennie, for your hospitality. We at Meridians Recovery are encouraged by your success. 10/16/09

Jennie Amison, Executive Director

Gemeinschaft Home

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Gemeinschaft Home is a 60-bed facility contracted by the Virginia Department of Corrections to provide transitional therapeutic community (TTC) program for persons being released from in-prison therapeutic communities. This 180 day program was established in 1985 and continues to be a cost-effective alternative to incarceration. Visit www.gemeinschafthome.com for more info.

Article published 3/5/09

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/paper.asp?paper=67

Helping Others Recover

Photo by Jennifer Lesinski/The Connection
Jim Gross, a resident of Sterling, along with Lori St. Angelo, hopes to open a nonprofit residential subsistence abuse facility.

Meridians Recovery Workshop
Co-Dependency vs. Dependency, Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Potomac Falls. Learn to manage stress, boost self-esteem and improve interpersonal relationships. Cost: $45, supports the proposed nonprofit Meridians Recovery residential subsistence abuse facility. For more information about Meridians or to donate call Jim Gross, 703-434-9009 or Lori St. Angelo, 703-309-5960 or visit www.meridiansrecovery.org.

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Couple in Sterling looks to open county’s only residential substance abuse facility.

By Jennifer Lesinski
Thursday, March 05, 2009

Jim Gross has been sober for more than 22 years. Lori St. Angelo was married to an alcoholic for three years. Together they hope to use their experiences to help others through a nonprofit residential substance abuse facility, Meridians Recovery, which they anticipate opening by 2011.

"He has experience from an addict’s point of view and I have the experience from the family’s point of view," St. Angelo said.

GROSS AND ST. ANGELO, both of Sterling, are doing fund-raising, seeking grants and looking for potential sites for the facility. They have met with members of the county’s Community Services Board and anticipate bringing a proposal to the county, in hopes the Board of Supervisors can donate the land. They are in the process of gaining nonprofit status, while Gross works toward his certifications to be a counselor and his psychology degree.

Tom Maynard, director of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, said there are no facilities in Loudoun County that treat substance abuse on an inpatient basis. Instead, when residential treatment is required, the county refers patients to centers out of the county.

Being referred to facilities in Culpeper and Fauquier counties or even Pennsylvania can make the treatment difficult not only for the patient, but also the patient’s family. Gross said it is important for the family to be involved in the treatment.

"The damage to the family is unbelievable," Gross said.

Maynard said the county helps about 1,700 to 2,000 people each year for substance abuse and there is a waiting list for the services.

"The demand exceeds the resources," Maynard said.

THE PAIR estimate they need between $2 million to $4 million to build a 30-bed facility, if the county can donate the land. The figure jumps to $7 million if county land is not available. St. Angelo said the timeline is to have the facility open by 2011 and there are already plans to expand. Eventually Meridians will have separate living quarters for men, women, and juveniles, sober living transitional housing, a Latino center and spaces for alternative treatments such as a sweat lodge for mediation. The name Meridians, Gross said, comes from a term associated with Chinese medicine.

"I’m a strong believer in alternative medicines," he said. "Science is catching up with the ways to treat addiction."

He said the key is not just treating the addiction, but also the body and mind, to reduce the triggers that may cause someone to turn to alcohol or drugs.

"If you can teach people to handle everyday stress and life, they are less likely to go back to chemicals," he said.

The process of raising awareness and dollars for their dream has had its ups and downs, but they are determined to be successful.

"It’s rewarding and frustrating at the same time," St. Angelo, who manages a dental office and serves as Meridians chief operation officer and director of operations, said. "Nobody likes to hear no, but everywhere we’ve gone, people have been positive."

ONCE UP AND running, Meridians will employ licensed substance abuse professionals. The facility will be licensed by the state and Gross said, they hope to partner with the county so patients will not longer have to leave Loudoun for inpatient services. The facility will charge on a sliding scale to help ensure anyone who needs help can get it.

He said a private facility can charge anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 a month. Meridians plans to charge $7,000 a month. Even at that reduced cost, Gross said the facility will be self-sufficient within a year.

"Even at 60 percent full we’ll have enough revenue for expansion," Gross said.

Maynard said that Meridians could be an asset to the county, assuming it achieves its fund-raising goals and state certifications.

"I think it would be a valuable resource," Maynard said. "Mr. Gross is enthusiastic and energetic. I’d like to see it be successful."

3/2/2009

Wow, so much has been happening. Lori and Jim attended the Chamber of Commerce Non-profit Initiative Breakfast and met our attorney Robert Showers there. One office visit with him the next week and he was interested in helping us. Primarily he works with non-profit churches but he liked our vision and agreed to help. He is a wonderful man and we are encouraged by him.

We continue to attend CSB meetings and have supplied them with presentation folders and keep them up to date as they have asked. Jim also attended his first Board of Supervisors meeting and was introduced to Stevens Miller there by his wife Elizabeth. We briefly discussed Meridians Recovery and he asked me to put together a proposal for his and the boards review. It seems Elizabeth had already briefed him; she is a member of the CSB.

Jim met with Michelle White, the department head for Loudoun County’s Drug Court. It seems Loudoun’s drug court may be on the budgetary chopping block and stands to lose a grant if the County cannot contribute its share. We agreed to advocate for each other and have been in frequent contact since to discuss planning strategies. He also managed to attend a training session in Washington DC on February 19^th. It was through our association with Faces and Voices of Recovery, APRA, and DCRCA. The session involved “The Science of Addiction and Recovery” by Doctor Florence Hilliard of the University of Wisconsin.

We have had interviews with two newspapers. Articles are supposed to run this week creating public awareness for Meridians Recovery. Our seminars and workshops begin this month and we are scheduling April already. We continue to network and Lori keeps updating the website. We have begun to produce literature about Meridians to help with our marketing and develop our presentation. It is snowing right now, 6” and counting. We have plans to go walk a potential site today, should be beautiful in the snow.

12/29/2008

A meeting on December 29, 2008 with Tom Maynard, the Loudoun County Director of Substance Abuse Services confirmed the county’s supreme interest and willingness to help; we have a meeting with the CSB on January 7, 2009 for further discussion. This is very exciting news. We have found nothing but complete support and encouragement from every department in Loudoun County, but this is the first concrete commitment of viable support and endorsement from a county official. Jim also identified two possible locations and will work with the county to find the best and most cost effective use of available land.

12/21/2009

Grades were posted for the fall 2008 semester of Jims Psychology degree. He continues to maintain a 4.0 grade average and looks forward to a full semester in the spring.

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ph: (703) 434-9009
Jim@meridiansrecovery.org