Clubhouse of Suffolk is a private, not-for-profit psychiatric rehabilitation
agency that was founded in 1990 by members of the Suffolk chapter of the
Alliance for the Mentally Ill (AMI). These individuals sought to increase
the range of opportunities for working, learning, and socializing for people
whose lives have been disrupted by serious forms of mental illness.
To guide their
quest, the group turned to Fountain House in New York City which, since
1948, has been a pioneer in the international development of comprehensive
community-based programs of psychiatric rehabilitation facilitating social
and vocational adjustment. The success of their work is clearly evidenced
by over 275 replications of the "clubhouse model" in this country and abroad.
The
fruits of their collaboration were realized when Clubhouse of Suffolk opened
the doors to its first clubhouse in January of 1991 in Ronkonkoma. Offering
a broad range of "state-of-the-art" rehabilitation and support services,
Clubhouse now serves over 1200 persons per
year, adding a second satellite facility -- the Synergy Center -- in Riverhead
in 1995.
The opening
of the first clubhouse generated huge interest among people in recovery
in Suffolk County who sought avenues to productive and socially-satisfying
roles. In response to this demand, Clubhouse has grown in the size and
range of its recovery-driven activities in order to realize the vision
of our founders and the dreams of the people who use our services.
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