For over 45 years, Janus has remained dedicated to its mission: to provide supportive, hope-inspiring and successful SUD treatment services in a professional and compassionate environment while assisting individuals and families on their journey toward wellness and recovery.
Janus of Santa Cruz was founded in 1976 by physician Dr. Robert G. O’Brient, who introduced a highly effective approach for treating alcoholism in a social model setting. In 1981, Janus became a private nonprofit organization and has continued to add, expand, and improve programs over the years. Currently, Janus offers quality programs that treat over 2,500 clients annually using the full continuum of care for substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring disorder treatment including detoxification, inpatient and outpatient treatment, perinatal services, DUI education, medication-assisted treatment, behavioral health services, and supervised Sober Living Environment (SLE) housing.
Some key milestones:
In 1992, Janus launched the Janus Perinatal Program with financial support from the Mondanaro and Baskin families. This is the only residential program for pregnant and post-partum women and their children in Santa Cruz County.
In 1998, Janus recognized the need for more safe and sober housing for people leaving treatment and began opening Sober Living Environments (SLE). Janus now operates three SLEs with a capacity for 38men and women who have a place to live following treatment, where they can practice and be supported in sober living.
In 2004, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency asked Janus to take over the County’s only methadone Clinic (Narcotic Treatment Program). With Janus leadership, the Clinic was soon serving a full census of 330 patients and was successfully serving a critical and largely unmet need in the community. Strong program outcomes coupled with effective fiscal management set the stage for deeper community impact.
In 2013, a second Clinic was opened in Watsonville for 125 patients. Buprenorphine and Vivitrol were added as medications to assist patients in managing their addiction. Since 2013, we have expanded our capacity in North county to 600 patients and 220 patients in South county.
In 2006, Janus received CARF accreditation for theMethadone Clinic and in2010 for the Residential and Perinatal Treatment Programs. CARF accreditation insures that people entering our programs will receive the highest level of safe and successful care guided by the most recent effective treatment methodologies. In 2018, we further expanded our CARF Accreditation to include Outpatient and Case Management programs.
In 2010, the perinatal program was awarded a three-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency of the Federal Department of Health and Human Services to develop services that would positively impact the County’s Latina population. This grant funded the development of a sophisticated outcomes tracking system which is unique among substance abuse programs in the county. Janus plans to build on this experience as it implements outcome tracking throughout the organization.
Again in 2019, we were awarded a similar 5-year grant for Pregnant and Parenting women from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA). This grant expanded on our 2010 Grant and continued to expand services for Pregnant women who are experiencing substance use disorder. The grant assists in funding positions, training staff developing data collection and reporting systems, and improving systems of care for Janus clients.
In 2021, Janus re-organized and defined all departments in the company and went through a trauma-informed transformation. During this transition we focused on Behavioral health integration into all our service lines. The restructuring led to clear and direct service lines, increase in high-quality client care, and improved employee satisfaction. Janus continues to grow and meet the needs of the community we provide services for.
Recovery
starts here
For more than four decades, Janus has provided compassionate and effective treatment for substance use disorders while guiding thousands of people toward wellness and recovery. We offer help, hope and results to individuals and their families.
