San Clemente, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/21/2016 --Sovereign Health, a leading national provider of behavioral health treatment services, has launched a new editorial series, "Beyond NIMBY." NIMBY is the acronym of the phrase "Not in My Backyard" and represents a particular viewpoint defined by the strong opposition that residents adopt when it comes to having sober living homes and residential treatment facilities located within certain neighborhoods. "Beyond NIMBY" is Sovereign's second series on the Not in My Backyard phenomenon. The launch of Sovereign's five-part groundbreaking inaugural NIMBY series sparked an outpouring of discussion by residents in Southern California and throughout the country as it shined a light on the most critical issues of the NIMBY movement.

The first installment of the "Beyond NIMBY" editorial series, "Southern California communities come together to discuss where we go from here," begins with a community discussion on sober living homes at the San Clemente Community Center town hall meeting, hosted by Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on Sept. 1, which addressed a number of issues regarding sober living homes and residential treatment facilities in Orange County, California. Joined by a panel of politicians, lawyers, community leaders and residential treatment and sober living operators, Congressman Issa discussed the complicated issues concerning the need for addiction treatment services in communities and addressed the major concerns of residents about sober living homes and residential treatment facilities in Southern California.

"We have two crises and I just want to make sure that we recognize both of them tonight," Congressman Issa said at the town hall meeting. "We have a drug and alcohol problem in this country and we have, literally, millions of people who are in need of help. We also have thousands of organizations around the country who have dedicated themselves to helping people learn to be dry and sober — that's a good thing. But it's very clear that there is a possibility of abuse in many of our neighborhoods. And that abuse is one that we want to have cities be able to have reasonable, local control to determine what should be in their neighborhoods in sense of volume, in sense of facilities and capabilities."

After the members of the panel spoke, a Q&A was held to address local residents' questions and concerns regarding the proliferation of sober living homes and residential treatment facilities in their communities. Some of the key issues regarding sober living homes and residential treatment facilities addressed in San Clemente's community discussion were also included in Sovereign Health's first NIMBY series. The second series will:

- Give a recap of the town hall meeting and explore the consequences of making changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Housing Act (FHA).

- Explain the levels of care in and major differences between sober living homes and residential treatment facilities.

- Examine the role both nonprofits and for-profits play in providing substance abuse treatment services to communities.

- Provide an update of crime statistics in San Clemente.

- Seek to bridge the gap between communities and treatment providers so that both may work together for the good of everyone affected by substance abuse.

As part of the local community, Sovereign Health cares about the issues related to sober living homes and residential treatment centers, and the concerns of local residents about what goes on in their communities. To follow Sovereign's Beyond NIMBY series, follow the story on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube with #NotinMyBackyard, #NIMBY, #SanClemente, #Crime and #Sovtalk.

About Sovereign Health
Sovereign Health's mission is to provide a broad spectrum of high-quality behavioral health treatment services for adults and adolescents, including support services for family members. Sovereign's treatment facilities are licensed to provide both addiction/dual diagnosis treatment and mental health treatment, such as trauma, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Sovereign also offers treatment for patients who have chronic pain, eating disorders and cognitive deficits. One factor that differentiates Sovereign from other treatment providers has been the company's ability to offer separate mental health and addiction or dual diagnosis treatment programs at its facilities.

For more information, visit www.sovhealth.com. 

Media Contact:
Wendy Allen, Public Relations Manager: 866-948-9688