Vista Bay Drug Rehab Marks One-Thousandth Graduate Milestone

span style=”font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”;”>Hidden within the tranquil Santa Cruz Mountains, Vista Bay drug rehab overlooks the City of Watsonville and the Monterey Bay. Situated on a large, rural property and surrounded by forest, Vista Bay has been helping substance abusers kick their drug and alcohol dependencies for a decade and a half. The majority of program graduates go on to lead happy and productive lives, picking up where they left off before addiction threatened to ruin everything for them. The success of the program was highlighted recently when a significant milestone was reached: student number 1,000 graduated from Vista Bay’s alcohol and drug rehabilitation program.

The program had modest beginnings in 1992, starting at the grass roots “word of mouth” level with limited client services and operating out of Bonny Doon, California. However, as the success of the program in helping people overcome their addictions became more widely recognized, demand for Vista Bay’s services continued to increase to the point where the residential treatment program was moved to an expanded facility above Watsonville in 1999. The treatment program has continued to flourish with approximately 150 clients per year graduating; this growth has necessitated the opening an additional center in Placerville, with yet another location in South Lake Tahoe.

The one-thousandth-student graduation event was a tremendous attestation to the success rate of Vista Bay’s alcohol and drug rehabilitation treatment program. And while the center staff was understandably proud of this achievement, the students of the graduating class were easily as excited to be part of the ceremony; not only had they successfully completed the program and looking forward to starting over with their lives and families, but one of them was going to be that milestone number 1,000.

Civic leaders from the Santa Cruz region were at the graduation ceremony to show their support for Vista Bay’s involvement in local communities. Among the dignitaries in attendance were a representative from the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, the City of Watsonville Neighborhood Services Manager and the Prevention Program Manager for the City of Santa Cruz.

Tony Campos, Fourth District Supervisor of Santa Cruz County issued an official Proclamation, honoring Vista Bay for “achieving their ‘thousandth life saved’ milestone.” The Proclamation also recognized Vista Bay’s ongoing community involvement, noting its “crucial role in educating youth and eradicating drug use by participating in local events and activities.” Among the efforts noted from Vista Bay’s alcohol and drug rehabilitation program: support and assistance to the Santa Cruz County Alcohol and Drug abuse Commission; the delivery of drug education lectures to over 2,500 kids living in the Northern California and Central Coast regions; and the testimonials that Vista Bay graduates delivered at the Santa Cruz Meth Project.