Daytop
by Frances Sandiford

Not long ago, I spent a day at Daytop, the treatment center on Fox Hollow Road, just a few miles south of the village of Rhinebeck. The buildings and land are part of the former Tracy Dows Estate, which had been the home of the Rhinebeck Country School, Devereux Foundation, and several other occupants over the years. Daytop has an exquisite view, which is part of its appeal as a treatment center. But when Daytop asked to take over the site 20 years ago, the community's response was a resounding "No!" Residents at Daytop have substance abuse problems, and the community was uneasy about having them so nearby. A long and acrimonious debate followed, but approval was finally granted to the facility through the intervention of The Hudson Valley Historical Society. Dedicated to preserving the region's historical monuments, the Society was concerned that buildings left over from the Dows tenancy would end up in disrepair in the wrong buyer's hands. Daytop promised to preserve them, and in November 1987, Fox Hollow facility (now known as Meadow Run) opened with an adolescent population. Despite the initial reservations, the facility has blended in. Nothing disturbing has happened.

My interest in Daytop began last summer when I met a staff member who told me about the facility's overseas programs. He had just come back from helping to set up a unit in Vietnam. Writing about his experiences abroad piqued my interest, and still does, but when I saw the campus at Fox Hollow Road, I decided that the Vietnam story could wait. I wanted to learn more about the facility right here in Rhinebeck. With the help of Director John Tedaldi, Assistant Director Curtis Potter, and teacher Angela Menendez, I spent a day looking, listening, and asking questions.

Daytop provides remedial services to adolescents and adults who have problems compounded by substance abuse. Founded in 1963, the organization has 26 centers throughout the United States, all handled by an administrative headquarters on 54 West 40th Street in Manhattan. The scope of the program is far more extensive than I had imagined. Even here in Rhinebeck, Daytop now provides services on both a short term outpatient basis and on a full time residential basis. The programs cover health issues, HIV/AIDS education and counseling, family therapy, and parenting skills. Daytop uses what is called positive peer interaction, and works in a highly structured environment, but one that can give the residents something that resembles a home-like atmosphere.

So much for theory. Putting a human face on Daytop was the most important thing for me. Where to begin? As far as I am concerned, the most interesting program at Daytop is the one for adolescents. Ninety boys, ages 12 to 21 (girls are not housed on this campus) get help with their substance abuse, and, it is hoped, a leg up on going back into society with fewer demons to contend with.

The boys come to Daytop from several different environments. They may be enrolled by their families. They may come from a school or community referral. They may be sent to Daytop by the courts, in lieu of a prison sentence. Or, in some rare cases, they come on their own.

Curtis Potter, now Assistant Director, came via the courts. In 1997, this city of Poughkeepsie resident was arrested for selling cocaine on a street corner. He could have received a prison term, since this was his second felony offense, but instead, the judge sent him to Daytop. After going through the program, he was able to kick the habit, and eventually to become a member of the Daytop staff.

Today, Curtis works in an office painted bright blue. On the walls are pictures of fish swimming as if in an ocean, photographs of his three children, and Daytop flyers. He speaks with confidence about the program, which he says helped him to redirect his priorities. This tendency to praise Daytop is something I heard everywhere around the facility. It is as if the residents feel compelled to pay back in words what Daytop has given them.

Curtis and Director Tedaldi gave me a quick run-down of Daytop's agenda. Once the adolescent seeks admission to the facility, he is assigned to a diagnostic unit that determines if he is eligible. Daytop does not accept adolescents with a history of violent behavior, mental disturbance, or arson. If a candidate's record comes up with any of these problems, he is referred elsewhere. Once accepted by Daytop, the adolescent is assigned to a residential center like the one on Fox Hollow campus. All Daytop residential centers are located in rural areas away from negative friends from locations which may have contributed to the young person's substance abuse or adjustment issues. Residential treatment can range from three months to a year, depending upon the assessment of each person. After that time, the boys are referred to outreach centers in their home area, further schooling, and/or support groups of various kinds. Just listening to this plan, I could visualize a big adjustment for the boys on both ends of the passage. Do they make it? Sometimes, as in Curtis's case, the adjustment exceeds expectation. Other times, it may not work…. but without a tracking system, Daytop cannot be sure of success or failure.

The counseling program at Daytop is based on the Synanon program of the 1960s. This was probably the first, and is still the best-known method for treating drug abuse. Although it has had its detractors, it has never lost popularity. Under this program, the residents meet six mornings a week for "pull ups," a kind of group therapy involving peer interaction. The boys throw questions at each other, sometimes embarrassing ones like "Who left the dirt rags in the corridor?" or "Who took the strings out of the mop?" But, hopefully, more pertinent ones that have to do with self evaluation. Curtis found this peer interaction the most valuable part of Daytop's offerings.

The boys must remain on campus at all times unless escorted by a staff member. One of the fears that the community voiced 20 years ago was that the boys would wander off into the village. But the Daytop administration has remained steadfast about absenteeism. As Director Tedaldi say, "We keep them busy and away from temptation."

After morning meetings, the residents go to either educational or vocational training. Anyone who comes to Daytop without a GED or a high school diploma must attend school. One building on campus is devoted to classrooms, which I visited with the guidance of teacher Angela Menendez. Like Curtis, Angela is a former Daytop resident. She readily admits to having had an early drug problem, and, like Curtis, she praises the program that turned her life around.

My visit to Angela's classroom was the highlight of my day at Daytop. She stood facing a dozen or so teenaged boys who viewed me with curiosity. The boys were rehearsing for a play, not just any play, but their own modern adaptation of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Renaming the play The Merchant of Menace, the boys had changed many of the original lines, inserting American street slang and modern day speech. With Angela as director, the boys were preparing to produce and act in the play which was scheduled to be presented at the Theatre of Performing Arts in Rhinebeck On March 9th, 10th, and 11th.

At Angela's request, each boy in the class identified himself and his role in the play. "I'm Shylock," one boy said proudly. "But who is Portia?" I asked him. Apparently the daughter of a counselor had agreed to do the part. Was the cast nervous, excited? Of course, but that goes with being actors.

Fast forward a few weeks. I was able to attend one of the performances, where I recognized some of he boys I had met. The props were simple, the costumes were the boys' own clothing. A little uneasiness here and there, one or two forgotten lines, but basically a triumph which brought down the house. The unmistakable star was 19-year-old Dale Dudley who played Shylock as a street loan shark.

Daytop's recent interactions with the town so opposed it 20 years ago is an indication of how successful the facility has been. Daytop has come a long way, and so has Rhinebeck which has accepted it.