The Luzerne County Reentry Service Center in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania had a busy spring this year, not only offering its usual evidence-based treatment services for program participants, but also supporting causes and community initiatives with events designed to promote positive reentry experiences.
This year, the RSC, a non-residential reentry center run by GEO Reentry Services, launched new diversity learning experiences for each month; most recently, staff members posted decorations, posters, maps and historical facts throughout the facility and threw a recent celebration in honor of Irish Heritage Month.
The RSC was also recently among many local community organizations that participated in the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute’s annual C.A.S.U.A.L., or Colon Cancer Awareness Saves Unlimited Adult Lives, Day to raise money for colon cancer research. Staff members wore T-shirts and face masks imprinted with the C.A.S.U.A.L. logo to promote colon cancer awareness, early screening and detection.
The RSC has participated in Colon Cancer Awareness Month for the past several years, in part as an expression of the center’s commitment to community involvement and support.
“Our goal is to introduce participants to the tools for living a productive life,” said Luzerne County RSC Program Manager Stacey Velez. “In addition to delivering behavior change programming, we provide community organizations with support, which helps our participants enlarge their world and understand the importance of positive behavior and right action.”
The RSC delivers evidence-based reentry services and treatment to help program participants break the cycles of criminal behavior, ultimately reducing recidivism rates. This treatment features individual counseling and group classes related to substance abuse treatment, anger management, parenting skills, life skills, Moral Reconation Therapy, employment readiness and more.The Luzerne RSC is licensed by Pennsylvania’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to deliver outpatient substance use disorder treatment and also provides electronic monitoring services and treatment services to the Luzerne County Division of Corrections.
