The opioid epidemic in Illinois continues, deaths that involved synthetic opioids other than methadone (including fentanyl and fentanyl analogs) continued to rise with more than 28,400 overdose deaths in 2018. Too many Illinois families continue to suffer and lose loved ones to the disease of addiction.
As a part of RCA at St. Charles, you will be joining the forefront of the battle against substance abuse in Illinois and help Recovery Centers of America bring high quality, affordable addiction treatment to those in need of help. The opportunity to make a difference in your community and save lives from the disease of addiction is what makes a career at RCA St. Charles far more than just a job. At St. Charles you will join a group of truly dedicated and compassionate professionals to make a real difference in the life of others.
Recovery Centers of America chose the location for RCA at St. Charles based on the local need, but also because of its incredible location, just outside of Chicago in the “Chicagoland” region. We believe St. Charles’ access to nature and beauty can be contributing factors to healing from drug or alcohol addiction. We also believe these same things make RCA at St. Charles a fantastic place to work.
Since 2019, RCA St. Charles offers comprehensive, individualized treatment services for a wide range of substance abuse issues, including alcohol, opiates, heroin, and methamphetamine. The campus offers a variety of evidence-based treatment protocols designed to effectively treat drug and alcohol addiction, as well as support long-term, meaningful recovery for patients and their families. Additional patient services include yoga and mindfulness meditation; family, group and individual counseling; educational seminars and outpatient treatment programs.
Join RCA at St. Charles and help us save 1,000,000 lives one neighborhood at a time!
RCA at St. Charles Facility:
Recovery Centers of America is a Joint Commission Accredited healthcare company, meaning we put the needs and comforts of our patients first always. Safety and quality of care are our priorities at each one of our facilities. We meet and exceed rigorous performance standards with our staff and sites, while also providing comfortable, clean facilities and rooms. All of our rooms have their own bathrooms and TVs, and are designed with privacy in mind.
RCA at ST. CHARLES LEADERSHIP
One of the keys to success for RCA at St. Charles is great management. Its management team has a proven track record of high-quality addiction treatment. At RCA, we believe that strong leadership isn’t just great for the company, it’s also an opportunity to learn from the best and grow as a professional.
Chief Executive Officer
Karen Wolownik Albert
Karen Wolownik Albert, LCSW, joins RCA with over 20 years of experience in progressive behavioral health leadership. As a frequent public speaker and advisor regarding local, state, and federal behavioral health issues and initiatives, she is also a subject matter expert on substance use issues and treatment, juvenile justice and child welfare, therapeutic intervention, and case management.
Clinical Director
Mark Zissman
Dr. Mark Zissman is a licensed clinical psychologist and joined RCA at St. Charles in August of 2020. Dr. Zissman has over 10 years of experience working in various clinical and leadership positions in the field of addictions, in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He feels particularly passionate about helping individuals discover their own unique motivations for creating lasting change.
Director of Admissions & UR
Bridget Martinez
Bridget Martinez began her career in the health care insurance industry 13 years ago as an access specialist at a level one trauma facility in the Chicagoland Area. From there, she obtained my Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology at Benedictine University in 2012 and has worked as a Utilization Review coordinator, crisis admission counselor, clinical therapist, and care advisor.
RSS Supervisor
Norman Golliday
Norman G. Golliday, MSCJ, BS, SAC-IT, CADC, MHP, comes to RCA with extensive experience working in residential treatment settings dating back to 2002, is a certified substance abuse counselor for the states of Illinois and Wisconsin, and holds a Bachelors and Master’s degree in Criminal justice. He has worked in every modality of of substance abuse treatment including residential, IOP and MAT.
TEAMS AT RCA ST. CHARLES
Recovery Centers of America at St. Charles delivers a full continuum of care for substance use disorder (SUD), all provided and staffed on site, including drug and alcohol detoxification supervised by a medical team which includes doctors and nurses, as well as a multi-week residential treatment overseen by a clinical team of case managers, therapists, wellness coordinators, recovery support specialists and others. Because families are impacted by addiction as well, the RCA at St. Charles team provides patients with supervised family visitation, family programs and family therapy. Common patient activities may include personal and group therapy, wellness coaching including fitness, nutrition and diet, creative outlet therapy including art and music, interactive addiction education workshops including the 12 step program, yoga training and classes that teach mindfulness, meditation and spiritual.
While the medical team handles the monumental task of taking care of every patient’s physical wellbeing and the clinical team takes on the heroic responsibility of planning and implementing all therapeutic activities and interactions for every patient, it’s actually the day to day operations team that makes it all possible by handling the most fundamental processes at the St. Charles site such as taking care of the facility upkeep, transporting patients to and from RCA at St. Charles, assuring every patient’s full satisfaction, ensuring timely paychecks as well as high morale for RCA at St. Charles employees, hiring new employees, and last but not least working with patient insurance companies to ensure we are able to fund the treatments our patients require.
Click on any department below to learn more about their function at Recovery Centers of America.
The Admissions Department is the first point of contact for patients entering RCA’s facilities. Empathy and professionalism are key so new patients, who are just starting their recovery journey, feel comforted and reassured. Admissions works directly with the Mission Center at the King of Prussia office to obtain intake information for pre-screened, pre-authorized patients scheduled for admission in order to complete the admissions process at their respective facilities. Admissions professionals guide newly arrived patients through the full gamut of physical screening, performing Bio-Psycho-Social, Medical, & Psychiatric assessments, and entering patient health data and history into our Electronic Health Record System (Avatar) as necessary.
The Case Management Department is responsible for patient aftercare. Case Managers work directly with patients under their care, as well as alongside the clinical department. They also put together a discharge plan detailing where the patient will go after they finish their inpatient stay at RCA, follow up services, and treatments the patient will need.
The Clinical Department is responsible for implementing new programs and treatments, as well as also making sure all existing treatments are consistently meeting patient needs. They gather patient feedback and report relevant data up the chain. Clinical is also in charge of distributing printed educational materials such as workbooks, handouts, and patient assessments. Clinical consists of accredited experts in the field of addiction treatment who are expected to offer guidance and expertise to patients as well as the staff at their respective facilities. The Clinical Department also includes therapists who manage a wide profile of patient cases offering group, individual, and family counseling.
The Housekeeping Department is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of RCA facilities. They perform day to day activities to ensure that all patient rooms and meeting spaces are maintained to RCA’s high standards.
The Human Resources Department manages a range of different functions at RCA facilities. This department is responsible for recruiting, screening, and interviewing qualified candidates. Human Resources also handles employee relations, payroll administration, benefits, and plays a strategic role in managing people and the workplace culture and environment.
The Medical Department is the highest authority when it comes to ensuring all patients are physically stable during their stay at Recovery Centers of America. Should a medical emergency ever arise, the Medical Department is on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Every patient entering an RCA facility undergoes a thorough health assessment by the Medical Department. The Medical Department determines which medication protocols are appropriate during detox, inpatient stay, and medication-assisted treatment where applicable. They also offer medical insight to the facility staff whenever necessary and provide guidance during admissions of medically complicated cases. Patients with co-occurring physical ailments rely on the Medical Department for assessments and treatment planning.
The Nursing Department’s key role is maintaining the physical stability and safety of all patients. Members of the Nursing Department perform regular rounds to consistently assess the physical wellbeing of monitored patients and administer medications when necessary. Nursing works under the guidance of the Medical Department.
The Quality Assurance Department ensures proper documentation occurs as required by law, as well as for internal company usage. They are also responsible for processing and responding to all incident reports originating at their home site. This department serves as Corporate’s independent oversight team, ensuring all operations comply with applicable laws, regulations, and rules such as State Regulations, Accreditors HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2 and plays an essential role in preserving RCA’s integrity and reputation.
RCA’s Recovery Support Specialists are a very important part of the Clinical Department. Often the most common point of contact for patients, they maintain order at their respective facilities, guide patients to their scheduled groups and meetings, and ensure an efficient flow of day to day activities. They also offer one-on-one support to patients when appropriate. Recovery Support Specialists are compassionate and empathetic, they often form close bonds with RCA patients.
The Transportation Department provides patient transportation to and from RCA facilities, as well as takes patients on scheduled field trips and doctor’s appointments as necessary.
The Utilization Review Department acts as a liaison between our facility, our patients, and our patients’ insurance companies. They constantly communicate with insurance to advocate necessary treatments on the behalf of our patients and bill the insurance companies for patient time at the facility and services rendered. It’s their duty to make sure the care our patients need is paid for by their insurance.