The Wellness Center in Action

The Wellness Center activity board that informs Participants of the days activities.

A wall containing different art work from Participants. Art is a positive means of express and allows the Participant to open up and connect to their thoughts and feelings in a more soothing manner.

A large water fountain helps promote tranquility and a calming environment so Participants can be more relaxed and open to new experiences.

Wellness Center volunteers work together and prepare a health snack for the Participants

As part of my research I left Surveys at The Wellness Center for Participants to fill our. Above are images of the survey on the information table at The Wellness Center. I taped pieces of candy to each one to further entice Participants to want to take them. Below is a copy of my survey.

DAI 505

Research and Development for Design

October 2010

Hello, My name is Theresa Rosen and I am a graduating senior at San Francisco State University. As part of my graduation requirement I must complete a well thought out research and development project. I’m conducting my research study on the Wellness Center’s substance abuse program and need your help. The purpose of this study is to research and develop educational tools for the Wellness Centers’ substance abuse program participants.

If you could take the time to answer the following questions, your fee back is greatly appreciated and serves only to benefit the participants of the Wellness Center.

1. Are you aware of how your substance abuse affects your body, both mentally and physically?

2. Are you interested in information you could take with you, regarding substance abuse and how it affects our mind and body?

­

3. Would you share this information with friends and other substance abusers you know­?

4. What type of information do you find most beneficial to your health and wellness?

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey, please feel free to leave any comments or feedback on the back of this page.

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul San Francisco

Please take the time to get aquatinted with the faces of The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.

The Ozanam Detoxification Center

First open in 1987 the Ozanam Detox Center serves 40,000 low-income men and women each year. Affectionally referred to as "The Oz", the center provides the first step on the road to sobriety. Patients are allowed a four day stay which includes a bed, three hot meals and a safe shelter for the environment of their addiction. There is also counseling and relapse prevention workshops in the form of informational videos and 12-step meetings.

Most of The Wellness Center participants flow in from the Detox Center because both programs are housed in the same building. According to R.J, a Vincentian Volunteer who spends 5 days a week as The Oz, most of the participants respond well to and are most interested in information from people they can relate to, recovered substance abusers. Patients are more apt to actively participate in activities that involves advice and experience from people who had dealt with the same substance abuse struggles and issues.

The 12 Step Program

The 12 Steps

• Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable
• Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
• Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God
• Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
• Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs
• Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character
• Step 7 - Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings
• Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all
• Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others
• Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it
• Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out
• Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs
• The 12 Step program is an essential part of any Substance Abusers recovery. Participants must be willing the accept the program before their road to recovery can begin.

Th

Timeline

PERT chart

Substance Abuse becomes the number one priorty.

Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Logo

Saint Vincet de Paul

The Wellness Center

The Wellness Center opened in the South of Market Area in San Francisco in 2009. Originally the building housed a Detox center that was forced to close its doors due to lack of funding. After purchasing the building SVDP was able to revive the Detox Center and establish the Wellness Center. The Center was created in order to educate the homeless on living a healthier more balance life style. The hope is to emphasize a daily routine of meditation, exercise, spirituality, personal development, and nutrition. The Center also offers clinical substance abuse support and drop-in workshops in Yoga, meditation, massage and art.

The Wellness Center, Meditation work-shop

History of The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul

Frederic Ozanam founded the Saint Vincent De Paul Society in 1856. Inspired by Saint Vincent De Paul’s work and care the homeless Ozanam worked in aiding and improving the lives of the needy people suffering in his community. Ozanam was a simply layperson who took the image of Saint Vincent de Paul as the society patron. Under the guidance of the Daughters of Charity, a religious organization of women who vow to serve the poor, the origination flourished

Frederic Ozanam

In 1860 the Society was established in San Francisco, with the same mission in mind, to aid the poor and suffering while improving their quality of life. Today the Society serves over 1,000 clients A DAY, suffering form homelessness, poverty, substance abuse, and domestic violence.

Saint Vincent de Paul, San Francisco runs the largest homeless shelter in California. The Society has developed special works, which include four areas of assistance. These four special works include; The Homeless shelter, the Domestic Violence shelter, the Vincentian Help Desk and The Wellness Center.