Horizon Treatment Services
Welcome to the Horizon Treatment Services Podcast, where we delve into the forefront of alcohol, drug, and mental health services. As industry pioneers located in the Beloved Bay Area, CA - HSI is committed to empowering adults and adolescents through evidence-based programs, fostering a secure space for tackling substance use disorder and mental health challenges.
Join us as we explore cutting-edge strategies, discuss success stories, and share insights that propel individuals towards their full potential. From prevention initiatives guiding youth towards substance-free lives to community outreach initiatives promoting safer neighborhoods, HSI's interest and expertise extends beyond treatment, shaping a future where well-being takes center stage.
Tune in to stay informed, inspired, and at the forefront of transformative change with Horizon Services, Inc. www.horizonservices.org
Horizon Treatment Services
Ep 07 - Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement with NIATx
Big problems get smaller when the people closest to them lead the fix. We sat down with NIATx consultant Matt Russo and our own leaders to unpack how a relationship-first framework, rapid testing, and staff voice turned a chronic pain point into a durable win: medication errors in residential and withdrawal management dropped from 55 to just four in a month, with daily audits and a higher census.
We start by demystifying NIATx and why it works in human services: it blends data with lived experience, honors the client relationship, and makes improvement less overwhelming through quick, measurable tests. Jamie connects quality to engagement and retention, reminding us that faster, clearer processes help clients feel held and stay in care. Gina then takes you inside the change project: a small cross-functional team, inclusive brainstorming with nominal group technique, and a deceptively simple idea—auto-generate the medication tracker from the state log to eliminate double entry and mismatches. Training, retraining, and clear accountability followed, backed by ObserveSmart technology that ensures 30-minute checks are real, timely, and visible.
The results speak for themselves, but the deeper story is cultural. Executive sponsorship set the aim. A trusted, hands-on change leader rallied the team. Frontline insights drove the design. We measured often, learned fast, and kept what worked. We also dig into how to spread improvements to similar programs, when to re-run staff-inclusive steps, and why peer-to-peer sharing beats top-down mandates. If you care about safer care, cleaner data, and a workforce that feels ownership, this conversation offers a practical playbook and a dose of hope.
Enjoy the episode, share it with a colleague who leads change, and if this helped you think differently about improvement, subscribe, leave a quick review, and tell us the one small test you’ll try this month.