Maui nonprofit receives $180,000 grant for holistic approach to addiction recovery

Malama Family Recovery Center will receive a grant of $90,000 per year for two years
from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation to support a pilot project of the new Supplemental
Treatment Program (STP).

These funds will provide training and tools for providers using brain and body therapies, including some neuroscience modalities, to supplement current substance use disorder treatment.

Launched in 2021, STP provides holistic types of treatment, including brain and body therapies, cultural activities, gardening and nutritional support.

“Supporting addiction recovery programs that take a holistic approach by addressing the long
term effects of trauma are of high importance to Nuestro Futuro,” said Abigail Perrin, Executive
Director of the foundation. 

The funds come at a critical time: a recent analysis of clients who had completed Malama’s
programs found that once they leave the program, anxiety and trauma may flare up, often
exacerbated by stressors from the pandemic. This caused staff to determine that clients did not have the resolution they needed to their original trauma that may have caused the substance abuse to begin with. 

Left unhealed, this trauma may cause them to use substances again. The introduction of these new treatments will help participants obtain long term recovery.

“Many forms of brain and body therapies have proven to be effective in addressing the types of trauma our clients experience,” said Jud Cunningham, CEO of Malama Family Recovery Center. “These funds will help us train staff in these modalities so that more participants can receive these services. … These types of programs are often underfunded, and collaborations between funders – in this case [Amazon founder] Jeff Bezos and the Nuestro Futuro Foundation – are what allow us to provide this more comprehensive type of care.”

Malama Family Recovery Center provides caring, holistic substance abuse treatment to women
and children so families can live safe, independent and healthy lives. It is Maui’s only women-
specific addiction treatment center and the only place on the island where babies and young
children can live with their mothers in treatment.

For more information about Malama Family
Recovery Center, visit https://mbhr.org/about-malama-family-recovery-center/.