Periodically, the Diaper Bank will spotlight one of our partner agencies as a way of sharing the wonderful stories about the positive impact within our community.
CODAC Behavioral Health Services of Pima Countyhttp://codac.nonprofitsoapbox.com/index.phpThis agency's mission is to work collaboratively with individuals, families and organizations to eliminate the harmful effects of substance use disorders, mental illness and abuse on their lives and their communities. The folks at CODAC work to end the stigma of substance use disorders and mental illness while advocating for just public policies which provide appropriate levels of public support ensuring affordable treatment, health promotion, and prevention services are available to all who need them.
Many of the recipients of CODAC's services are families or single parents with infant children in need of diapers. Since existing government programs do not provide diapers, CODAC looks to the Diaper Bank as a source of one of the essential elements in a normal, healthy life. Providing diapers to those in need, along with the many other services CODAC provides, addresses one of the many health and human service needs existing in our community.
Just one program in CODAC’s continuum of care is MCAS (Mothers Caring About Self), an out-patient treatment program for pregnant and post-partum women recovering from substance abuse disorders. The amount of diapers MCAS receives each month varies between 200 and 600 diapers—it depends on how much the Diaper Bank has available to give at that time.
MCAS has quite a few members that have multiple kids in diapers and have virtually no income. The diapers we are able to provide really helps these women to save what money they do have to purchase other necessities like food and clothing. One woman in the MCAS program has three kids in diapers and she struggles to pay her bills every month. Even to save just a little bit of money on diapers allows her the ability to maintain stable housing for her children.
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Founded in 1970, CODAC is one of Arizona's oldest and most respected health and human service community organizations. The organization began as a coalition of individuals and organizations concerned with combating the growing problem of drug abuse in Pima County. The Junior League of Tucson provided the initial funding to hire the first staff person. Two years later, the organization secured an eight-year grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) to establish a coordinated network of drug abuse prevention and treatment programs in Pima County. When the NIDA grant expired in 1980, the Arizona Department of Health Services and other local sources stepped in with funding to allow the network to continue operations.
Throughout its history, CODAC has served thousands of individuals and families at risk of - or suffering from - mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders.
Additional Agency Spotlights:
Gospel Rescue Mission