2011 John Schwarzlose

Selected Papers of William L. White www.williamwhitepapers.com Collected papers, interviews, video presentations, photos, and archival documents on the history of addiction treatment and recovery in America. Citation: Published in abridged form in Counselor and posted at www.williamwhitepapers.com Pioneer Series A Purposeful Life: An Interview with John Schwarzlose President and CEO of the Betty Ford Center William L. White Emeritus Senior Research Consultant Chestnut Health Systems [email protected] In April 1978, former these years, the Center also developed President and First specialized treatment for licensed Lady Jerry and Betty professionals, innovative programs of Ford announced to the focused continuing care, state-of-the-art nation that Mrs. Ford family and children’s programs, and an had sought treatment independent Betty Ford Institute whose and was recovering mission includes recovery-focused research from addiction to dissemination, public and professional alcohol and other drugs. education, and policy advocacy. It was a riveting moment in the history of addiction treatment and I have known John Schwarzlose as a recovery in America, but the Ford family had valued colleague and friend for most of my further contributions to make to that history. career and welcomed the opportunity to On October 4, 1982, the Betty Ford Center interview him in between sessions of the opened on the grounds of the Eisenhower 2010 annual meeting of the National Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Association of Addiction Treatment California. When Mrs. Ford sought a leader Providers. Join me in this sweeping for the treatment center that would bear her discussion of John’s career and the work of name, she chose John Schwarzlose. Since the Betty Ford Center. then, the Betty Ford Center has achieved Education and Early Career international esteem under his leadership and has treated more than 80,000 patients Bill White: John, let me start with the (half of whom have been women). Through question all of us in this field are often asked: williamwhitepapers.com 1 “How did you choose to work in this most for its houses of prostitution. The Council unusual profession?” had gone to the county board and asked, “How much does it cost you to put someone John Schwarzlose: Well, it’s an interesting in jail overnight for public drunkenness?” story. When John F. Kennedy was They said “29 dollars.” The Council said, President, he pushed legislation that “Drop them off at our place, and for the same sparked the community mental health price, we’ll take care of them and keep them movement. In response, a professor of out of your jails.” They thought that was a Psychology at Northern Illinois University— great deal. So, there I was: 22 years old, with where I did my undergraduate studies— a Master’s Degree, thinking I knew far more started a Master’s program in Community than I really did, and working for a much Mental Health. I enrolled in that program, older recovering alcoholic who smoked one which combined elements of community and cigarette after another. The whole thing was educational psychology. A major aspect of a kind of trial by fire. I worked the 3 to 11 the program was work within the community, shift and got to know alcoholism up close so in 1971, I began working at Singer Zone and personal—with guys vomiting and going Center in Rockford, Illinois. The Center was into DTs. We had no medicine, no nurses, a state psychiatric facility designed to help only tender love and care. And of course, I patients in aging state hospitals re-enter learned more from that experience than all of their local communities after years of the books I had read in school. institutionalization. I was fortunate to meet a psychiatrist named David Stinson who had a Bill White: What are some of the lessons particular passion for the treatment of you took from that work? alcoholism. I liked working with alcoholics and was impressed with the dramatic John Schwarzlose: By far, the biggest changes that were possible in their lives. So, lesson was to never give up on anyone. Here I went back after a semester at Singer and were these homeless men living on the told my professors that I wanted to pursue a streets, rejected by society, with apparently career in the alcoholism field. They were little prospects for future recovery. And yet I appalled. They said, “Why would a bright witnessed such recoveries. I remember one young man want to work with alcoholics and Navy veteran who had lost an arm in the war addicts? That would be such a waste of your who I saw really beginning to get it. He came time.” In spite of their discouragement, I to me one day and said, “John, there is a continued to pursue this interest with a visit great speaker tonight at a 12-Step meeting to the Alcoholism Treatment Unit at Lutheran in town. Would you come to the meeting with General Hospital, where Dr. Nelson Bradley; me?” Well, I was having a second date that Gene Rossi, a psychologist; the Rev. John night with the woman who has now been my Keller, this incredible Lutheran minister; and wife for the past 36 years. So, I called her others were adapting the Minnesota Model and I said, “I know we were going to go have of alcoholism treatment for delivery within a something to eat, but is it ok if I take you to community hospital. Through them, I an open AA meeting first?” She should’ve became even more excited about the future known right then. I saw men virtually reborn of alcoholism treatment. through that work. Bill White: What was the first job you Bill White: What was the next position you obtained in the field? held? John Schwarzlose: I ended up working as John Schwarzlose: In 1974, the Peoria an evening counselor for the Peoria Area Mental Health Clinic was forced to hire an Council on Alcoholism for the robust salary alcoholism counselor as a condition of their of $8,000 a year. I worked out of an outreach federal funding. So, the Clinic director hired center for Skid Row alcoholics on the far me for $12,000 a year on the condition that I south side of Peoria—an area once known generate that amount of patient fees to cover williamwhitepapers.com 2 my salary. So, I went to work as the token 1978. They wanted me to learn everything alcoholism counselor at the Peoria Mental about Hazelden, so I began the experience Health Clinic in hopes I could generate by going through the program as if I were a enough fees to support my plan to get patient. I arrived at Hazelden on a cold, rainy married later that year. There were some Sunday night and went to Ignatia Hall—the experienced therapists there who taught me entry unit—suitcase in hand, wet and a great deal about group and individual shivering. An LVN greeted me and took her therapy. I also started getting more involved two hands and wrapped them around mine in the larger alcoholism field at this time by to warm them and looked at me and said, going to conferences and visiting the few “We’re really glad you’re here.” She didn’t other programs that existed. know if I was a patient or a visiting dignitary. And I thought, “How welcoming and Bill White: Peoria’s a pretty good sized city, accepting!” That’s the first lesson I learned and yet in 1971, you’re describing a city with at Hazelden. few alcoholism treatment resources and not much of a larger field at this time. I spent five weeks at Hazelden and learned some incredible lessons that have John Schwarzlose: There wasn’t. Most stuck with me over my career. I went back people going to inpatient alcoholism to Peoria and in February of 1979, we treatment at this time had to go to Hazelden opened a 35-bed treatment center on the in Minnesota, Lutheran General Hospital fourth floor of Proctor Hospital. The unit was near Chicago, or a bit later to the Hyland successful from the beginning, due in great Center at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. part to the relationships we formed with such Louis. Most communities at this time did not major employers as John Deere and have local inpatient alcoholism treatment. Caterpillar. Like many other programs of Bill White: Was this when you enrolled in a that era, we modeled ourselves on the PhD program? Minnesota Model. One of the hardest things we faced was finding doctors to serve as our John Schwarzlose: Yes, I got married and physicians. And my work there kept me in started to work on a doctorate degree in touch with Dan Anderson, who had become Psychology at Northern Illinois University. I something of a mentor to me. traveled to night classes while working days. My wife was a schoolteacher and like so Bill White: Didn’t Dan suggest a shift in your many young people, we were moving in a lot educational activities? of different directions. But I stayed at the John Schwarzlose: Yes, I’ll never forget my Peoria Mental Health Center, which became wife and I having dinner with Dan and him the Human Service Center in 1977. I asking me, “John, you’re working on this became the Coordinator of the alcohol and doctorate degree. Are you going to work as drug division and had three counselors a psychologist?” When I explained that I had working for me.

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