Mission
At Aliviane, we help people recover from addiction.
Vision
We envision a community where hope is instilled in individuals suffering from addiction by embracing their voice, easing their journey, and engaging their family as they discover their own path of recovery.
History
El Paso has acted as a historical backdrop to major drug trafficking, given its locale on the border for decades. As early as the 1920s, northwest border cities of Mexicali and Tijuana began to cultivate opium smuggling expansions that eventually made their way to Nogales and Ciudad Juarez and through El Paso to the United States. Drug trade continued to boom through World War II, with local heroin distribution networks seen throughout Juarez and known as the “transborder” supply.
By the 1960s, El Paso’s movement to address these heroine hubs, the rise of barbiturates, amphetamines and marijuana was seen as the drug transport and eventual exposure in the region took its toll on the economy as well. President Nixon attributed the rise of the primary supply of dangerous drugs to the US/Mexico border and began “Operation Intercept.” Car inspections for drugs could be seen at border crossings, disrupting transit and intensifying politics.
Locally, a group of El Paso community organizers began providing street interventions to people using heroin, creating their own efforts to combat the lucrative growth and presence of the drug in neighborhoods. This grassroots movement started in the “Segundo Barrio,” a term that refers to the historic neighborhood, or second ward, of South/Central El Paso. Focusing on the Segundo Barrio was symbolically significant because it represents the “starting point for thousands of families” coming to our community, comprising the rich culture and Hispanic tapestry that is El Paso.
After years of street work and peer support services throughout El Paso, this group incorporated a nonprofit, minority-governed organization, creating Aliviane, Inc. in 1970 under Ramon Adame, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. The first true service to the community was providing outpatient treatment to men. Later in the 1980s, Aliviane opened the first Women’s Residential Treatment Center, co-located with the Men’s Residential Treatment facility. Understanding the enhanced benefits of children accompanying their mothers while in treatment, Aliviane opened the Women’s and Children’s Residential Treatment Center (Women’s Center) in the early 1990s.
However, as the needs of the Women’s Center grew, this required a larger facility. Currently, the Women’s Center provides treatment to women with substance use and mental health disorders from El Paso and surrounding areas at its North Loop location. It is the only rehabilitation center where mothers can bring their newborns and children with them while receiving treatment.
Aliviane is the primary provider of prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services in West Texas for men, women and adolescents. It also coordinates a strong network of community support and an array of interagency agreements to provide a continuum of care. In addition, the organization operates several steering committees and planning groups in the areas of substance use and behavioral health. The organization also provides training and professional development for partnering organizations, health workers, interns, volunteers and members of the community involved with public service.
