Posted: Thursday, February 20, 2014

With the goal of enhancing care for people affected by substance use disorders and mental illness, The Providence Center (TPC) and CODAC have entered into an affiliation agreement and will develop ways to integrate and strengthen services. The initial term of the agreement is three years. In reaching this agreement, the two organizations have agreed to develop new collaborative programs and study how the groups might fit together in the future.

“As we have discussed this affiliation, one of the things that has become very clear is that both The Providence Center and CODAC are driven by the same mission,” said Dale Klatzker, President and CEO of The Providence Center. “And, it’s pretty simple – to provide people with the right services and supports at the right time. If we can succeed in this, the vast majority of people we serve will recover.”

“Our missions are the same,” said Michael Rizzi, President and CEO of CODAC. “But, in this era of health reform and increasing complexity, it’s hard to develop services quickly enough to meet the growing needs of the community. We are committed to working with TPC to explore new ways of working together, to develop more effective programs, and to become stronger as organizations.”

“We think the affiliation will enable us to be more efficient,” said Klatzker, “but also to develop new ways to provide more integrated services so the people we serve can recover and stay well. That’s what today’s healthcare marketplace is calling for.”

Serving more than 12,000 people a year, TPC is the state’s largest community mental health organization and operates with an annual budget of $44 million. The agency employs 650 staff. Its services are provided statewide through 12 locations in Providence, Burrillville, Cranston, Pawtucket and Warwick.

CODAC provides medication-assisted treatment, outpatient substance abuse treatment programs, and drug abuse prevention programs to more than 3,700 people per year. It provides services in five locations around the state (Cranston, East Providence, Newport, Providence and Wakefield), employs 127 staff, and operates with an annual budget of $6.1 million.