Tarzana Treatment Centers: A Leader in Integrated Behavioral Healthcare
Ken Bachrach, Ph.D.
Clinical Director
Tarzana
Treatment Centers (TTC) is the largest provider of substance abuse and
integrated behavioral health treatment services in
TTC
has a history of responding to the new and emerging community needs, often
before many others are willing or able to address pressing issues. In the mid-1980s HIV became an emerging
problem, and TTC responded by providing education, testing, and an array of
ancillary services. Women’s services was
an identified need in the late 1980s, and TTC responded by developing
residential, day treatment, and outpatient services for pregnant women and
women with young children. In 1990, an
84 bed women’s residential program was opened in
A
healthcare crisis erupted in the mid-1990s in
Funding
for any organization is a critical issue.
As a nonprofit, funding initially came exclusively from the public
sector, but over time TTC’s Board of Directors realized the need to diversify
funding sources to maintain fiscal strength.
Rather than hold annual fundraisers, TTC embarked an effort to serve the
commercial healthcare market place. Because of the diversity and quality of
care comparable to any facility found in the private sector. A major achievement was obtaining
accreditation in 1987 from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations (JCAHO), which accredits nearly all private and university-based
hospitals and healthcare facilities. This achievement told the community and
private insurance companies that TTC maintained the highest standards of
quality in the healthcare field. As a
result, nearly all insurance companies recognized TTC for their high quality of
care and listed them as a preferred provider of care, with whom they wanted to
do business. TTC has maintained this
accreditation for the last 20 years.
TTC
developed stand-alone youth services in the late 1990s, in response to the
needs of the community and requests from the healthcare industry. In 1998, a dedicated outpatient youth
services program opened its doors in the San Fernando Valley, which was soon
followed by a similar program in Lancaster.
In 2003, a 40 bed residential treatment program for youth was opened on
the
Outpatient
services continued to grow and separate buildings for adult outpatient services
we opened in 2003 in
What
sets TTC apart from many other healthcare organizations is that it provides all
levels of care for substance abuse problems, ranging from medically-supervised
detoxification, residential rehabilitation, and outpatient services. TTC operates 24 independent “sober” living
homes throughout
TTC
has many dedicated and committed healthcare and administrative staff. The President and CEO, Scott Taylor, as well
as the Chief Operating Officer, Albert Senella, have been at TTC since it was
founded in 1972. The Medical Director,
Dr. Duane Carmalt, and Clinical Director, Dr. Ken Bachrach, have been at TTC
for over 20 years, and many of the senior managers have been at TTC for 10 or
more years. This continuity of staff
adds to the quality of care and provides programs with an historical
perspective not often found in many organizations. Patient care staff at TTC include physicians,
nurses, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, drug and
alcohol counselors, dietitians, recreational therapists, and health educators.
Quality,
progress, and innovation are three of TTC’s seven core values. (The other core
values are dignity, integrity, diversity, and advocacy.) TTC is part of the National Institute of Drug
Abuse’s Clinical Trials Network, which tests and evaluates new and promising
approaches to substance abuse treatment. TTC is involved with a number of initiatives
at the local, state, and national level to improve the quality of its care for
specific populations and for services in general. Staff receive regular training on substance
abuse, mental health, and medical issues. TTC has its own internal quality management
program, which involves constantly obtaining feedback from individuals using
our services. People are asked if they were treated with dignity and respect, if
staff were courteous and friendly, as well as whether they were satisfied with
the quality of their care and how much they were helped by the care they
received. Should a problem be noted in
any area, that program or department is required to submit a corrective action
plan.
TTC
has grown from a small organization back in the early 1970s to a leader in the
healthcare field today. Across its sites
in the
Biographical Sketch
Ken Bachrach, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director of Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC), one of
the largest providers of substance abuse and integrated behavioral health
services to adults and youth in
He coordinates TTC’s activities
in the National Institute of Drug Abuse’s Clinical Trials Network, which tests
the effectiveness of research-based interventions in community organizations.
Dr. Bachrach holds a Certificate of Proficiency in the treatment of alcohol and
other psychoactive substance use disorders from the American Psychological
Association. He is President of Professional Psych Seminars, which
provides in-person and online continuing education programs to mental health
professionals.