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PURPOSE
Treatment Facilities Committees are formed to coordinate the work of individual A.A. members and groups who are interested in carrying our message of recovery to alcoholics in treatment facilities, and to set up a means of “bridging the gap” from the facility to an A.A. group in the individual’s community.
A Treatment Facilities Committee may function within the structure of a general service committee on the area or district level or it may serve within the structure of a central office / intergroup. Prior to forming these committees, this Twelfth Step work is sometimes handled by an individual group or member. As A.A. groups grow in number in a community, experience suggests that a committee works more effectively.
Reprinted from A.A. Guidelines, Treatment Facilities Committee, GSO
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HISTORY
Ever since A.A.’s co-founders first stayed sober by carrying the A.A. message into hospitals, many other alcoholics have discovered the great value to their own sobriety of working with suffering alcoholics in treatment facilities.
In 1934, Bill W. kept trying to help drunks in Towns Hospital in New York City. None of them seemed interested at that time, but Bill stayed sober. Dr. Bob worked with thousands of alcoholics at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio. In 1939, Rockland State Hospital, a New York mental institution, was the site of one of our first A.A. hospital groups.
Today many A.A. meetings take place in treatment facilities all over the world. Twelfth Stepping and sponsoring other alcoholics (where they area) has long been one of the most important and satisfying ways of keeping ourselves sober.
Service to treatment facilities used to be combined with corrections facilities under the title Institutions Committee. In 1977 the General Service Conference voted to dissolve its Institutions Committee and form two new committees, one on correctional facilities and one on treatment facilities. For more information on A.A.’s work in hospitals and treatment centers, see "A.A.
Comes of Age".
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BASIC
FUNCTIONS OF THE TREATMENT COMMITTEE
• With
approval of the facility administration, takes A.A. meetings
into facilities within Area 10
• Encourages
group participation. Each District should have a representative
on the T.F. committee.
• Coordinates temporary contact programs, such as Bridging the Gap
• Arranges
purchase and distribution of literature for these
groups andmeetings.
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Temporary Contact Programs to
"Bridge the Gap" between Treatment and A.A.
Experience shows that even though a patient may have been participating in a group or meeting in a treatment facility or outpatient setting, there is anxiety about the transition to a regular group on the outside. With the reminder that A.A. has only sobriety to offer, many committees do try to provide some additional personal contact so this transition period can be made easier. In many places, this is referred to as “bridging the gap” between treatment and a home group. The pamphlet “Bridging the Gap”
The initial contacts do not necessarily continue as sponsors, but do serve as a vital link between the facility and the outside A.A. group. is available from G.S.O.
When G.S.O. receives a request for A.A. contacts from a treatment facility professional, a friendly letter of explanation about anonymity is sent with a list of central offices, intergroups and answering services enclosed. The local Treatment Facilities Committee may also be notified
Below is a list of Central Offices and Intergroups in Area 10:
• Boulder Central Office: 303-447-8201
• Colorado Springs Central Office: 719-573-5020
• Denver: 303-322-4440
• Ft. Collins: 970-224-3552
• Grand Junction: 970-245-9649
• Pueblo: 719-546-1173
Bridging the Gap (BTG) through temporary contact programs may be handled differently in various parts of the U.S. and Canada. In some places, this service may be under the auspices of the Area Treatment Facilities Committee or a Hospitals and Institutions Committee. Some areas have formed “Bridging the Gap” Committees while others have a Temporary Contact Service as a committee separate from Treatment Facilities and H & I.
In many places, A.A. committees inform treatment settings about the temporary contact service and are given opportunities to present information directly to clients. Then it is up to the client to let A.A. know if he or she wishes to have a temporary contact upon discharge. Some temporary contact services accept requests for temporary contacts from either treatment professionals or clients.
Reprinted from A.A. Guidelines, Treatment Facilities Committee, GSO
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If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please contact
the:
The Area 10
Treatment Chair
.
