Derrick Ford, M.H.S
Derrick Ford, who is also know affectionately by his close friends and supporters as Rick, for years struggled with his own addiction to drugs and alcohol and chronic homelessness and eventually achieved years of stable recovery. Having a genuine desire to give back to others what was given to him, he went one step further in becoming a case manager with the Behavioral Health Special Initiative Program (BHSI), which is now a component of the Department of Behavioral Health in Philadelphia.
In this capacity, Derrick embodies the purpose and mission of The Department of Behavioral Health as he works directly with individuals seeking to gain their own recovery from drug and alcohol disorders and co-occurring mental illness. He is one of the first case managers hired as part of the state’s Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs Case Management Initiative implemented in Philadelphia.
Understanding early in his professional career that he would need to grow and improve his skills, he enrolled in Community College. He then went on to obtain his Master’s Degree in Human Services from Lincoln University graduating on the Dean’s List.
In addition to maintaining his case management caseload at BHSI, he acts as the Department of Behavioral Health’s Community Liaison and also works as a therapist for individuals with co-occurring diagnoses at The Wedge Medical Center in South Philadelphia.
Ford is also a primary component of The Philadelphia Police Department’s Heads up Program, which has entered over 400 schools in the Tri-State area, speaking to students about the dangers and realities of drugs and violence.
Derrick spearheaded a rally in Philadelphia when it was feared that drug and alcohol treatment dollars would be cut from the state budget and recently organized another rally in North Philadelphia to address community responsibility in the face of the recent violence in our city.
He implemented and organized a “Relapse Prevention Workshop Series” at Community College and continues to look for new and effective services that we can offer the people we serve.
He has assisted in educating the public about the services provided by the Department of Behavioral Health and helped people get directed to the help they need at health fairs throughout the community.
Derrick Ford continues to represent BHSI, The Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), The Coordinating Office for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Programs (CODAAP) and The Philadelphia Mental Health Care Corporation (PMHCC) at various community town meetings and has become a recognized speaker at 12 step seminars and conferences across the country.
Through Ford's passion and belief in the recovery process, his dedication to his community, and commitment to helping others, he has become a recognized figurehead for the recovery movement in Philadelphia.
He has made several appearances on television and has been the host on a variety of radio shows speaking about drugs and violence in the city of Philadelphia.
Latest accomplishments 2007
Derrick Ford is the founder and Director of a program called “Brothers Reaching Back” a mentoring program in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city of Philadelphia. He recently developed a program called “The Network” which brings organizations together working as one, providing communities with resource information. They hit the Streets every Tuesday and Thursday night from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
In May of 2007 he formed the Strawberry Mansion Athletic Association in which a Youth Baseball League with 187 kids was developed. The league consists of boys and girls ranging from ages 8 thru 16 with three major components connected to it. Education and academics, family values and athletics. The league gained much review in the June 21st edition of the Daily News (cover page) and in the August 23rd edition of the City Paper cover page.
In June of 2007 Derrick received the Fatherhood Initiative Award from Dr. Bill Cosby. Derrick is a single parent living with his 12 year-old daughter Quadia.
In September of 2007 Derrick established the first recovery talk show on radio station WURD 900 AM airs every Wednesday night from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The show focuses on addiction and treatment with a major focus on recovery! Most recently, Derrick joined the WNWR 1540AM Monday afternoon at 2-4PM show called Janet's House as a radio personality. Janet Powell, a mortician and activist, is the host of the show Janet's House. On the www.wnwr.com listen live show, Derrick does sports talk amongst other local news.
Derrick continues to be active with Men United for a Better Philadelphia working in the community towards improving the quality of life for the citizens of Philadelphia.
Derrick will be 19 years clean on October 2nd, 2009.
