Below is a note from Andrea Grubb Barthwell, MD, on why SunCloud Health may be the right choice for you. Dr. Barthwell formerly served as Deputy Director for Demand Reduction at the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the White House and as the President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). I have the utmost respect for Dr. Barthwell. She is a passionate proven leader in the addiction and mental health space. I enjoyed working with her and I am humbled by her words of support. – Kim Dennis, MD
Why SunCloud Health?
I met Kim Dennis, MD just as she was finishing her psychiatry residency at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. I was so impressed with her understanding of the diseases of substance use disorders, and co-occurring issues such as eating disorders, mood disorders, and other behaviors often exhibited by young women who are facing such challenges, that I hired her on the spot to be my initial medical director of a comprehensive treatment center for women with a range of chemical and emotional/behavioral problems. I have not been disappointed since and have grown to share with her high, mutual, personal regard.
Dr. Dennis went on to create and grow one of the most comprehensive and progressive programs for women of all ages who needed residential support to overcome their problems. A good friend of mine used to say, when shareholder concerns take precedence over patient concerns, we have a problem. As Dr. Dennis was creating more successful outcomes for patients, the need to make more money for the investors collided with her work. When she decided to branch out on her own where she did not have to respond to shareholder demands, SunCloud Health was born, holding patients in the highest of esteem.
SunCloud Health builds on the lessons learned treating the most severe forms of psychological disease, in protected residential settings, and translates those lessons into activates in outpatient settings for patients who are more stable and able to build in self-directed ways on clinical improvements while living in the community. Dr. Dennis and her team use peer support and professional guidance to gently encourage their patients to make choices that support health and wellness. Those choices include normal eating, appropriate exercise, non-chemical coping strategies, and asking for help. Gently meeting people where they are is not leaving them stuck in their problems, it is helping to facilitate change that is permanent. This is the story of SunCloud Health; this is the story of Dr. Kim.
The Honorable Andrea G Barthwell, MD
Former Deputy Director for Demand Reduction, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Former President, American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
Founding Medical Director/Medical Consultant: Encounter Medical Group, PC; EMGlobal LLC; Timberline Knolls; The Manor; Two Dreams (Outer Banks, Chicago, New Orleans)
Additional information about Dr. Barthwell.
After entering the medical profession, Barthwell became President of the Illinois Society of Addiction Medicine and then President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, an area of medicine that has been one of her specialties. She served as President of the Encounter Medical Group, an Oak Park, Illinois, professional consortium that also focused on addiction health care. In nearby Chicago, Barthwell also has headed two drug treatment organizations: BRASS Foundation, a provider of addiction treatment services, and interventions. In 1997, Dr. Barthwell’s peers named her one of the “Best Doctors in America” in addiction medicine. In 2003, Dr. Barthwell received the Betty Ford Award, given by the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse.
Barthwell founded and is the director of the addiction treatment network Two Dreams, with locations in Chicago, the Outer Banks, and New Orleans.