Turning Point of Tampa is celebrating 35 years of providing the Tampa community with the highest quality addiction treatment on February 4, 2022. I am both proud and honored to say that I have celebrated 25 of those years here first as the Clinical Director and then as CEO. Over the last three and a half decades we have helped over 15,000 clients change their lives through a combination of intensive therapy and compassionate care. The 12-step model for addiction treatment has always been the keystone of our programs.
Turning Point of Tampa started as a halfway house and then quickly gained recognition in the local community, as well as nationally and internationally, for the treatment of addiction, eating disorders, and dual diagnosis. It is from humble beginnings that we learned, grew and earned the reputation we now enjoy. We have established ourselves as an in-network, ethical, affordable program of the highest quality and effectiveness, where our clients always come first. The industry professionals who work with us have always known Turning Point of Tampa as focused on providing quality treatment, a family owned business. We are also proud to say we have had one owner since we opened our doors in 1987.
We are creative and respectful in our marketing efforts; always providing current and accurate information about our programs and making appropriate referrals to other programs if we are not the right fit. Each year at our Strategic Planning meeting, we devote time to our immediate and long term goals, evaluate our place in the behavioral health industry and think ahead to the future so we can continue providing quality service to our clients and our community.
While other facilities might offer fads or quick-fix cure-alls, I believe those methods do not help people sustain recovery the way the 12-step model and intensive therapeutic guidance does. Turning Point of Tampa’s aim is to create a “life-like” environment, focusing on recovery through responsibility. We emphasize the importance of creating this environment so that when clients leave treatment, they have a model of recovery for their new life.
We started from meager beginnings with a few staff members who had a desire to help the still suffering, renting a few houses on a cul-de-sac. We have grown to a one campus facility. that we now own and operate that includes seven duplexes, the property (the village), and two large office buildings. The client residences in our village have a dedicated team of Behavioral Health Technicians monitoring and sharing their experience, strength, and hope with our clients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The main building was built in 2001 in front of the village and in 2006 we made the decision to expand our campus as our program had grown too big to fit under just one roof. The Marge Porter Resource Center was built next door to our campus, for our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and Recreation Center, as well as 12-Step fellowship meetings and educational events.
Turning Point of Tampa is licensed by the Department of Children and Families (DCF), accredited by The Joint Commission and certified as a 3.5 Level of Care residential program by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) through CARF. Turning Point of Tampa is also a proud member of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) and the Tampa Bay Chamber. Our staff consists of highly credentialed and licensed masters level therapists, registered nurses, registered dieticians and top-rated psychiatrists who are board-certified in addiction medicine. We have approximately 55 employees with experience in the 12-Step philosophy and education in behavioral health. I am so proud to say that many of our staff have been here for at least 10 years, which is another indication of our integrity and dedication to helping people find recovery. Throughout the years myself and many of our staff, including Dr. Hardeep Singh and Dr. Ryan Estevez, have been recognized for our work in the community and Turning Point of Tampa has been nominated twice for the Tampa Bay Chamber Small Business of the Year Award.
We strive to provide innovative, on-going education and training to help us grow and advance in our field, so that we may better help our clients. We have set ourselves apart from other treatment centers by working as educators in the field, providing resources and educational opportunities for our community partners.
Everyone from the owner, board members and the staff, work hard every day to provide structured and individualized care for our clients. Turning Point of Tampa’s focus is to maintain relationships in the community, accrediting bodies and government and local agencies to ensure we are meeting their standards of care. We spend time with the challenges inherent in treating this illness, while maintaining a safe & secure environment for people to recover.
We could not have accomplished all that we have, especially during this difficult time of the pandemic, without our incredible alumni out in the recovering communities. I would like to acknowledge them and express our appreciation and gratitude to each of them. Many of our alumni have come back to work for us over the past 35 years.
As I reflect on the value our alumni have added to the recovery experience at Turning Point of Tampa, I remember everything they have given back: sponsorship, support networks, speaking and leading meetings on campus, continuing to show up to aftercare and alumni groups. TPOT alumni have put in tireless hours of service. In appreciation of our alumni, Turning Point of Tampa has hosted many successful alumni events to inspire, educate and encourage fun in recovery. We will continue this, as it is an important component to life in recovery. In fact, our next recovery event, Comedy Intervention IX, is scheduled for Sunday, March 20th at The Tampa Theatre. The headliners are John Lehr (the Original Geico Caveman) and Alonzo Bodden, winner of Season Three of Last Comic Standing. Please come join us for an afternoon of laughs!
I am truly grateful to have been given this opportunity to build and grow one of most highly respected addiction treatment centers in the country. My hope is that Turning Point of Tampa will continue helping people to overcome their addictions and transform their lives. We understand that it is a privilege to help people redefine themselves through the gift of recovery. It is our mission to instill the promise of hope for recovery for every client. We are grateful to have earned your trust over the last 35 years. We hope to earn it for 35 more!
Robin Piper Lutz, CEO/Clinical Director
