St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers (Photo provided)

St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers, based in Saranac Lake, has received recognition from the Society for Human Resources Management as one of the Best Companies to Work for in New York State for 2017.

The Society for Human Resources Management, the world’s largest association devoted to human resources, created the Best Companies survey to evaluate and rank the best places of employment whose practices benefit the State’s businesses, economy, and workforce.

This year’s award is the sixth Best Companies designation for St. Joseph’s, a distinction realized by just a small number of companies in the non-profit category since the survey began in 2007. The sixth recognition is also, according to Chief Talent Officer and Human Resources Director Katie Kirkpatrick, a reflection of a company philosophy that includes such factors as a compassionate mission, competitive salaries, professional development, and an appreciation for work/life balance.

“Since our founding 46 years ago, St. Joseph’s has helped thousands of individuals and their families recover from addiction,” Kirkpatrick said. “Now, with the epidemic abuse of heroin and other opioids, our work has become more challenging, and also far more rewarding.”

Regarding the significant increase in opioid use, Governor Cuomo reported this past June that heroin overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the state. And, between 2005 and 2014, upstate New York has seen an astonishing 222 percent increase in admissions to Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services-certified treatment programs, like St. Joseph’s, among those 18 to 24 years of age for heroin and other opioids.

“With the changing nature of addiction, the Best Companies process provides us with an even greater opportunity to hear directly from our employees about how they feel about the work they do and the environment in which they serve our clients,” Kirkpatrick said. “The feedback we receive is invaluable and has helped us enhance communications, our physical workspaces, and many other qualities essential to keeping St. Joseph’s a rewarding place to build a career.”

Founded in 1971, St. Joseph’s provides drug and alcohol addiction treatment for approximately 400 individuals and their families each year at the agency’s inpatient and veterans facilities in Saranac Lake, approximately 1,000 clients annually through their seven outpatient sites located in Franklin and Essex Counties, and some 130 adolescents throughout the year at their Rose Hill campus in Massena. The agency also operates aftercare facilities in Schenectady and Poughkeepsie. In addition, a supportive housing program for families in recovery from addiction has been funded and will be established in Malone.

St. Joseph’s Family Program is provided at no charge (including meals and lodging) to family members of inpatient residents and offers those affected by chemical dependency the opportunity to become educated about addiction; to learn skills for improving not only the life of their addicted loved one, but also the lives of all members of the family; and to connect with other families responding to the same challenges.

St. Joseph’s employs a staff of 230, most of whom are residents of the Tri-Lakes, operates a nearly $14 million annual budget, and generates an estimated $26 million in positive economic impact to the local economy.