November 5, 2020

As we prepare to celebrate our nation’s heroes next week, American Addiction Centers (AAC) continues with its yearly tradition of offering free care to veterans who are impacted by the addiction crisis. Ten veterans will be eligible to receive 30 days of free care at AAC’s Desert Hope Treatment Center in Las Vegas. Desert Hope has a specialized program, Salute to Recovery, that was designed to meet the unique needs of veterans. With studies indicating that as many as 1 in 10 veterans have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder, AAC is on a mission to help more veterans receive the treatment they need.

To apply for an opportunity to receive free treatment, veterans can visit AAC’s website. Applications will be accepted until November 10. American Addiction Centers will notify the recipients on November 11 and they will be admitted into treatment no later than November 13.

American Addiction Centers also partners with dozens of VA medical centers nationwide as a community care provider to ensure more veterans have timely access to addiction treatment year-round. AAC’s VP of Veterans Affairs Georgie Koppermann is adamant that more must be done to help our nation’s heroes starting with the Mission ACT. In a recent article in American Military News, Koppermann, says, “already this year, American Addiction Centers has fielded more than 600 calls from veterans seeking help for substance use issues and the number grows every day. Of those, less than half were able to get the help they needed through the VA’s Community Care Network, self-pay or private insurance.”

AAC is also committed to hiring more veterans. In honor of Veterans Day, American Addiction Centers will feature more than 20 of its veteran employees in a social media campaign with the hashtag #StillServing. The tribute launches on Veterans Day with each employee sharing how they are still serving others through their work at AAC. Some of these employees are also in recovery, including AAC’s chief of staff Dan Cerrillo who is also a Navy SEAL veteran.

“Admitting you need help is an act of courage,” said Cerrillo. “We know there are so many veterans who are struggling with drug and/or alcohol addiction and mental health challenges, and AAC wants to be a lifeline for them. Treatment works and can be life-changing. My life in recovery is better than I ever imagined.”