Horizon Health’s New Parent and Family Support Coordinator
Colleen Babcock has thrived in her new position at Horizon Health Services because of her past work experience in helping others and her strong passion to raise awareness on drug addiction and mental illness.
The new Parent and Family Support Coordinator position was created just for Babcock. The position consists of raising awareness about drug abuse, helping families struggling with substance abuse and helping those dealing with prescription drug addiction to treatment and eventually recovery.
“I want to reduce the stigma that surrounds prescription drug addiction,” Babcock said. “It is a disease that needs to be treated.”
Babcock has dealt with prescription drug addiction firsthand as her son is currently in treatment at Horizon Health. An eagerness to learn more about addiction and the passionate approach that Horizon Health takes towards recovery, led her to ending a 25 year career at M&T Bank, as a Mortgage Operator, and working at Horizon Health full-time.
Babcock had an impressive resume of outreach and raising awareness before January 2014, when she began working full-time at Horizon Health. She and Cindy Goss founded “Guarding Hearts Therapy Dogs,” a program where dogs are taken to retirement homes, hospitals, addiction treatment centers and mental health agencies to provide therapeutic support. Babcock also launched the 2014 “Raise Awareness Calendar.” All the proceeds of the calendar go to raising funds for the Young Adult Facility at Horizon Village.
Since June 2013, Colleen has been the Director of Community Outreach for “Save the Michaels of the World,” which was created to help raise awareness of prescription drug addiction. They speak publicly to raise awareness and education at schools, colleges and businesses.
Colleen has been a Western New York native her whole life and lives in Alden, NY.