Blog
News from the House February 2023
Wow, has January flown by fast! Our Heartland House team, after celebrating the 2022 holiday season in our usual energetically festive fashion, has embarked on what we know will be an exciting 2023. Here is a snapshot of the biggies that lie ahead: Yet more...
Employee Spotlight – Daniel Vanwaus, Substuance Use Disorder Counselor
Daniel Vanwaus lends to Heartland House a skillset honed over decades of work in service professions. Born in Iowa, Daniel left the Midwest at age 17 and eventually landed in San Diego in 1997. In his first twenty years here, Daniel worked in hotel, restaurant and...
A Message from Jason Bustad, Hearland House Board Member
Greetings, I’m Jason Bustad and I have proudly served on the Board of Directors of Heartland House since 2005. I am a longtime San Diegan who joined our Board because I believe in giving back to my hometown. Our team at the House helps men in need of recovery, and...
Surviving the Winter Blues 2023
Surviving the Winter Blues Happy New Year 2023 and kudos to all who celebrated the holiday season with their safety, sanity and sobriety intact. Your next mission: to skillfully experience the post-holiday calm and those cooler, darker and drearier days that can make...
Staying Sober During the Holidays
 bHolidays can bring stress for many reasons. How do you stay sober? Twelve-step program guidance tells us that sober alcoholics and addicts can celebrate the holidays without drinking or drugging, provided they have developed a strong foundation of recovery and are...
Heartland House Employee Spotlight – Rich Sangillo
Rich Sangillo is a new member of our team, having joined us in August 2022. In a short time on staff, Rich has leveraged his professional background and patient demeanor to make a highly favorable impression at the House. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Rich grew up in...
News from the House November 2022
Greetings from our Heartland House team! With the holiday season fast approaching, we’re checking in with an update on what we’ve been up to at the House….. For starters, thanks to everyone who made our 61st Anniversary Gala, held on October 1, a signal success. While...
A letter from Rick Trepte, Heartland House Board Member
Greetings to all our Heartland House friends, My name is Rick Trepte, and I have been a member of the Board of Directors of Heartland House since 2015. I proudly serve on this board because, like my fellow board members, I am committed to our mission of helping men...
Telehealth in Substance Abuse Treatment: Many Pluses, Much Potential
Can technology provide the answer to the current shortage of addiction treatment providers? Trends are showing that telehealth is becoming a more commonly used resource for those who would otherwise have little to no access to potentially life-changing...
A Letter from Jeanne McAlister
Greetings to our Heartland House friends, I am Jeanne McAlister, CEO of the McAlister Institute and a member of the Board of Directors of Heartland House. Much of my life – over 45 years, in fact – has been dedicated to helping people who are affected by Substance Use...
Heartland House Employee Spotlight – Curtis Quay
Curtis Quay, Counselor Curtis Quay joined our Heartland House team in mid-2019 on what has been an eventful life’s journey. Curtis was first a client of the House, holding professional credentials that he could utilize to resume a lucrative career after his program....
News from the House July 2022
Greetings from the Heartland House team! With summer upon us, we are checking in with the latest happenings at the House. Pandemic Update – Through faithful adherence to our specified preventive measures, Heartland House has operated for over two years – since March...
Person-Centered Care at Heartland House
How it Starts Working at Heartland House: Assessing Our Clients’ Needs To achieve the best results possible for our clients, Heartland House relies on person-centered care, meaning that we develop an individualized program of treatment to meet the unique physical,...
News from the House – February 2022
Greetings, friends! As we approach the end of the second full year of the pandemic, our Heartland House team continues to perform our mission with high energy and unwavering persistence. We are delighted to announce that the landscape and hardscape enhancements to our...
Letter from Jim Hutzelman
Greetings, I’m Jim Hutzelman, a member of the Board of Directors of Heartland House. I’m the Secretary of the Board and the Chair of its Fundraising and Community Presence Committee. I hope that everyone among our Heartland House family and friends is enjoying a safe...
Employee Spotlight – Mike Nunez, Counselor
Mike Nunez is a success story that we at Heartland House tell with great pride. A graduate of inpatient and aftercare programs at our facility, Mike’s diligence and personable manner deeply impressed our staff. Shortly after Mike told his story of recovery to a packed...
Donor Spotlight: Marge Binks
The mention of Marge Binks brings a smile to the faces of many at Heartland House. A friend of the House for several years, Marge joined its Board of Directors in 2014, and she currently serves as an advisory member. But around the House, Marge is known less as a...