50 YEARS OF EPIC – 2007-2017
EPIC added psychiatric services to our outpatient services in 2007.
EPIC launched THINK! ASAP – a program for students suspended from school for alcohol and other drug use. Services included a Prevention Education Series, psycho-education groups, parent involvement, and crisis intervention. The program was offered at Gaines Alternative Program.
BBBS of SJC’s Tips for Kids Sake expanded to 13 restaurants.
The popular EPIC fundraiser, A Taste of St. Augustine, moved to a new venue: the St. Augustine Amphitheatre.
Happening in 2007:
- George W. Bush was President.
- Irreplaceable was the #1 Song.
- The Departed won the Oscar for Best Picture
- American Idol was the top-rated television show.
- The final Harry Potter book was published in 2007.
EPIC celebrated our 35th Anniversary with a fun new event: Crocodile Rock. Crocodile Rock took place at the Alligator Farm and celebrated the 70’s including our version of American Idol: “Vinyl Idol” where locals dressed up as 70 Celebrities and karaoke-d 70’s songs with winners chosen by audience monetary votes!
Happening in 2008:
- George W. Bush was President until Barack Obama was elected.
- Low was the #1 Song.
- No Country for Old Men won the Oscar for Best Picture.
- American Idol was the top-rated television show.
- The Appeal by John Grisham was the most popular book of 2008.
Launched a new fundraising campaign: “500 Friends – The Voices for Recovery”.
EPIC expanded social networking technology with an e-newsletter and via Facebook.
EPIC was recognized by the Florida Dept. of Children & Families for our exemplary Clinical Peer Review Process.
Happening in 2009:
- Barack Obama was President.
- Boom Boom Pow was the #1 Song.
- Slumdog Millionaire won the Oscar for Best Picture
- American Idol was the top-rated television show.
- Uber – the ride-sharing service was founded in San Francisco.
As an enhancement to the Taste of St. Augustine, the “Race to the Taste 5K” was launched. Runners in the 5K received free admission to the Taste.
EPIC’s CEO, Patti Greenough, celebrated her 20th anniversary with EPIC and she was also elected as the President of the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association Board of Directors.
Happening in 2010:
- Barack Obama was President.
- Tik Tok was the #1 Song.
- The Hurt Locker won the Oscar for Best Picture.
- American Idol was the top-rated television show.
- Instagram was launched in 2010.
EPIC implemented the “Strengthening Families Program” which brought parents and teens together to work through family conflicts and other challenges.
EPIC hosted our 1st Recovery Month event: “Light up the Plaza for Recovery” to celebrate those on their recovery journey. The event included speakers, music, and opportunities to light a luminary in honor of someone in recovery.
- Happening in 2011:
- Barack Obama was President.
- Rolling in the Deep was the #1 Song.
- The King’s Speech won the Oscar for Best Picture.
- NCIS was the top-rated television show.
- The final launch of NASA’s Space Shuttle program was July 8, 2011.
EPIC received our 1st CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) Accreditation and on our 1st audit, received the accreditation for a 3-year period – the highest level. According to CARF, “An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable.”
In 2012, EPIC began doing business as EPIC Behavioral Healthcare. The board and staff felt the new name better communicated our focus and reflected on research that shows mental health and substance use disorders are brain diseases and healthcare issues.
EPIC secured a contract with the Dept. of Juvenile Justice for the Civil Citation Program which offers substance abuse education to adolescents who have received a civil citation for drug or alcohol use.
EPIC began discussions in the community about the need for a detox center located in St. Johns County to serve our residents. St. Johns County had been without a local detox center for more than two decades.
EPIC was awarded a prevention grant for BASICS – which allowed for prevention and educational services at St. Johns River State College.
Happening in 2012:
- Barack Obama was President.
- Somebody That I Used to Know was the #1 Song.
- The Artist won the Oscar for Best Picture.
- NCIS was the top-rated television show.
- The “Gangnam Style” dance video became the first YouTube video to reach one billion views.
EPIC Board members and staff and county officials traveled to Tallahassee to meet with our legislators on the need for a detox center in St. Johns County. They met with success and the Florida Legislature backed EPIC’s efforts and appropriated funding for the operations of a comprehensive detoxification program in St. Johns County. EPIC was able to purchase a building and begin the renovations needed to house the detox center.
EPIC started a Caregivers Support Group to offer support and guidance to caregivers of children in our Counseling Center program.
EPIC celebrated it’s 40th anniversary!
Happening in 2013:
- Barack Obama was President.
- Thrift Shop was the #1 Song.
- Argo won the Oscar for Best Picture
- NCIS was the top-rated television show.
- Oxford Dictionaries named “Selfie” as the word of the year for 2013.
EPIC opened the EPIC Recovery Center (ERC) – St. Johns County’s only detoxification/residential treatment center. The ERC opened as a 24/7 facility offering drug and alcohol rehabilitation services and has 16 beds – 12 detoxification beds and 4 residential beds. With the opening of the ERC, EPIC doubled the number of staff and had 2 different campuses. In the first five months of operation, the ERC served 328 individuals.
EPIC also expanded outpatient programs to include psychiatric services for both children/adolescents and adults, medication management at both campuses, new mental health and substance use groups for women, and expansion of the play therapy program.
Happening in 2014:
- Barack Obama was President.
- Happy was the #1 Song.
- 12 Years a Slave won the Oscar for Best Picture.
- The Big Bang Theory was the top-rated television show.
- CVS/Caremark, the largest drugstore chain in the country, stopped selling all tobacco products.
EPIC began medically assisted treatment through offering Vivitrol to help address the physical aspect for opiate and alcohol addiction treatment.
EPIC began offering Open Enrollment days where people could come in to see a counselor for an evaluation with no appointment needed.
Happening in 2015:
- Barack Obama was President
- Uptown Funk was the #1 Song
- Birdman won the Oscar for Best Picture
- NCIS was the top-rated television show.
- The international debate about a dress – is it black/blue or gold/white? Took place in 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dress
EPIC’s Recovery Center expanded to 6 residential treatment beds and served 805 individuals (an 18% increase over last year).
BBBS’ major fundraiser – Tips for Kids’ Sake has a record-breaking year – 26 participating restaurants, 170 Celebrity Waiters, and over $70,000 raised for the BBBS mentoring programs.
BBBS was also chosen as the beneficiary of the Conch House’s Great Chowder Debate.
Happening in 2016:
- Barack Obama was President until Donald Trump won the election.
- Love Yourself was the #1 Song.
- Spotlight won the Oscar for Best Picture.
- The Big Bang Theory was the top-rated television show.
- Pokemon Go brought game playing to the outside (real) world for millions.
In response to the opioid epidemic, EPIC developed and implemented an Opioid Treatment Team.
EPIC was asked to provide the treatment component in St. Johns County’s new Veteran’s Treatment Court.
The fundraising campaign One Bed. One Life was developed. This campaign raised funds for a ‘general scholarship’ available to help those who needed the services of the ERC but didn’t have the means to pay or didn’t have insurance.
Happening in 2017:
- Donald Trump was President.
- Shape of You was the #1 Song.
- Moonlight won the Oscar for Best Picture.
- The Big Bang Theory was the top-rated television show.
- America was treated to the first total solar eclipse in 99 years.