Chris Policano details his pathway to Phoenix House and shares backstory about the building that was slated to be the Nancy Reagan Center and the process of establishing good relations with the Lake View community. He discusses the therapeutic community method and Phoenix House's role in explaining the crack epidemic to stakeholders during the 1980s. He narrates the challenges of de-stigmatizing th e images of addicts, and of defending long-term residential care to the public, funders and doctors. He then speaks on organizational culture and leadership
Public relations personnel; Therapeutic communities; Drug addicts--United States; Substance abuse--Treatment; Cocaine abuse--History--20th century.--United States; Lake View Terrace (Calif.); Policano, Chris; Phoenix House (Organization)
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2015
Physical Description
57 pages
Note (Biographical)
Chris Policano served as Phoenix House's media liaison and public relations director between 1989 and 2007. Born and raised in the outer boroughs of New York City, he joined Phoenix House after a brief stint in the public relations business. He was cl osely involved with the public relations elements of Phoenix House's expansion into southern California. He also worked with the media throughout Phoenix House's peak years as addiction experts, at a time when the nation was increasingly nervous about the crack epidemic in the 1980s. At the time of the interview, he was serving as Public Affairs Director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
Note
Interviewed by Lance Thurner on March 11, 2015
Note (Provenance)
Chris Policano, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2016