On the Road to Better Care: River’s Bend Leadership Team Explores Michigan’s Continuum of Care
As Michigan began to shake off the final chill of winter, members of the River’s Bend leadership team set out on a meaningful journey across southeast Michigan. The day before the April P4P Day Conference, Bruce Goldberg, President and Co-Owner; Amy Fresch, Troy Clinical Director; Cheryl Narduzzi, Business Development Liaison; and Erica Brown, Marketing Director, traveled together to visit three exceptional treatment providers: Metropolitan Behavioral Health, Liberty House Recovery Center, and Henry Ford Maplegrove Center.
The purpose of the trip was simple but important: to better understand and help demystify the continuum of care for mental health and substance use disorder treatment in Michigan. By seeing these facilities firsthand, our leadership team gained valuable insight into the services patients may need before transitioning to outpatient programs like those offered at River’s Bend.
More importantly, the experience reinforced the power of strong professional partnerships in ensuring that individuals and families receive the right care at the right time.
Springtime on the Road in Michigan
There is something uniquely hopeful about Michigan in Springtime. As our leadership team traveled from one facility to the next, the landscape reflected the same sense of renewal that recovery often brings.
The roads wound through vibrant Detroit suburbs and tree-lined neighborhoods just beginning to turn green. Flowering trees were budding, daffodils brightened residential lawns, and sunlight filtered through soft spring rain clouds. After a long Midwestern winter, the season offered a visible reminder that growth and healing are always possible.
First Stop: Metropolitan Behavioral Health
Our first destination was Metropolitan Behavioral Health, a specialized inpatient psychiatric hospital that provides acute stabilization for adolescents, adults, and older adults.
For individuals experiencing severe depression, suicidal thoughts, psychosis, or other mental health crises, Metropolitan offers 24/7 psychiatric care in a structured and supportive environment. Patients receive medication management, individual therapy, and group treatment, with typical stays lasting seven to fourteen days.
What impressed our team most was Metropolitan’s commitment to continuity of care. Every patient leaves with follow-up appointments scheduled and a clear discharge plan in place. Their staff works closely with community providers like River’s Bend to ensure that treatment continues seamlessly after hospitalization.
For Bruce, Amy, Cheryl, and Erica, touring the facility with Susan Thomas, Chief Operating Officer, helped remove uncertainty around inpatient psychiatric treatment and provided a clearer picture of what patients experience when they need this level of care.
Second Stop: Liberty House Recovery Center
Our next stop was Liberty House Recovery Center, where we met with Dr. Ashley Casey, Co-Founder and Program Director.
Liberty House is a family-owned residential addiction treatment center built on a mission to improve clinical outcomes and break the cycle of repeated treatment episodes that many individuals experience.
The program combines medical detox and psychiatric care with evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, EMDR, and trauma-focused treatment. Clients also benefit from holistic services including yoga, acupuncture, massage therapy, cooking classes, and life skills training.
One aspect that stood out to our team was Liberty House’s ability to support working professionals, allowing clients to maintain critical responsibilities while engaging in intensive treatment. The facility’s thoughtfully designed environment balances clinical excellence with warmth and comfort.
The visit highlighted how individualized and innovative treatment can help people build a stronger foundation for lifelong recovery.
Final Stop: Henry Ford Maplegrove Center
The final destination on our journey was Henry Ford Maplegrove Center. Indeed, this is one of the most respected names in addiction treatment in the Midwest.
For more than 40 years, Maplegrove has offered a full continuum of substance use disorder treatment. This includes medical detoxification, residential care, and medication-assisted treatment. In addition, they provide therapy and family support services.
During our visit, Christine Reeves, LMSW, shared how Maplegrove tailors treatment to each patient’s needs. Notably, she places great importance on collaboration with trusted referral partners. Her message resonated deeply. In her experience, patients feel more confident moving to the next level of care when they know their providers trust one another.
That philosophy aligns perfectly with River’s Bend’s approach. By all means, building strong relationships with organizations like Maplegrove helps everyone. We can confidently guide patients into the next phase of treatment. As a consequence, we can continue supporting them as they transition back into daily life.
Why These Partnerships Matter
River’s Bend clinicians and staff understand that recovery rarely follows a straight line. Some individuals begin with outpatient therapy, while others may require inpatient psychiatric stabilization, medical detox, or residential addiction treatment before moving to Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) or Mental Health or Substance Use Disorder Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP).
The challenge is not a lack of resources. As Bruce Goldberg often says, the real issue is that many people simply do not know what resources exist or how they fit together.
This field trip helped our leadership team see that continuum of care more clearly. By visiting these facilities, meeting their staff, and learning about their treatment philosophies, we strengthened the relationships that make coordinated care possible.
When providers know and trust one another, patients experience smoother transitions, reduced stress, and greater confidence that they are receiving the right level of care.
A Day of Learning, Collaboration, and Connection
For Bruce, Amy, Cheryl, and Erica, the trip was both educational and energizing. In addition to touring impressive facilities and meeting passionate professionals, the day offered an opportunity to connect as a team and share ideas about how River’s Bend can continue improving the patient experience.
It reinforced the knowledge that our clients and their families are never navigating treatment alone. Through strong partnerships with Metropolitan Behavioral Health, Liberty House Recovery Center, and Henry Ford Maplegrove Center, we are proud to help illuminate the path forward—one relationship, one referral, and one recovery journey at a time.
