First Step Home

Pratima Shanbhag, Summer 2011

I was born and raised in Cincinnati, and I believe in this city and the mission of the Urban Health Project. So when I applied to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, I knew that I would one day want to be a part of UHP. First Step Home is a residential and outpatient drug and alcohol treatment facility for women that serves Hamilton County as well as counties throughout Ohio. It is a unique program because it allows women to bring their children to the home to live with them during their recovery. I wanted to work at FSH to understand the struggles of the client population and the recovery process. I wanted to serve the site in whatever way I could to help their clients achieve their goal of long-term sobriety. But I ended up being given so much more from FSH than I had thought possible.

My experience at First Step Home has been nothing short of transformative. I did learn so much about the client population. It is unfair to define them only as recovering addicts- they are mothers, they are survivors, and they are fighters. I learned of their struggles in life- past, present, and future. I never thought that I would form such strong bonds with the clients and their children in just 8 weeks. And I do feel that I was able to contribute to the site. I was immediately welcomed by the staff and soon took on the responsibilities of a full time staff member. It wasn't long before I was able to see that the every staff member at FSH goes above and beyond their job description every day to not only help guide the clients through their recovery, but in essence help them restructure their lives.

It was such a privilege to spend my summer at First Step Home. They taught me one of the most valuable lessons that I have learned yet in my career as a med student- that we never actually treat addictions, but we treat the addicted person. I saw that for a person to truly recover and heal from an addiction, they need more than just clinical protocols – they need a nourishment of spirit that comes from others taking the time to truly understand a person, which comes exactly from the sort of loving, energizing, and supportive family that the FSH really is. My supervisor told me that once you a part of FSH, you are for the rest of your life. I look forward to coming back for the clients' graduation and I look forward to bringing the lessons I have learned at FSH to my peers and into my career.