Malama Family Recovery Center
Malama Family Recovery Center provides caring, holistic substance use disorder treatment to women and children so families can live safe, independent and healthy lives.
As Maui’s only women-specific substance use disorder treatment center, we strive to provide a continuum of care with Therapeutic and Sober Living Programs, Intensive Outpatient, Outpatient, and Aftercare services. We are also the only place on the island where young children and infants can live with their mothers while they get the help needed.
Programs Available
Therapeutic and Sober Living Programs
Structured and supportive living environments where women in recovery from substance use disorder can receive treatment and other critical services. Infants and young children can live with their mothers in these programs.
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Intensive Inpatient & Outpatient Treatment
Individual and group therapy as well as substance use disorder treatment and counseling, education classes, relapse prevention, stress/trauma workshops and other case management services offered on an outpatient basis.
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BabySAFE (Substance Abuse Free Environment)
Outreach and early intervention, including substance use disorder treatment, case management and referrals for prenatal care for pregnant women and new mothers.
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Client Success
Many of our clients have walked a hard road before reaching our program doors. Here they share their personal stories.
Testimonials
Our Team
Donna “Kupono” Rivera Lucero, LCSW, CSAC
Program Director and Counselor, Malama Family Recovery Center
Cultural Director, Maui Behavioral Health Services
Kupono supports our families as they work toward healing and reunification. As a counselor she engages fathers and other partners while the moms are in treatment.
She is also in charge of the cultural program for Maui Behavioral Health Resources, integrating culturally responsive traditions to strengthen the entire `ohana, and sharing her knowledge and resources across all three partner agencies.
Kupono has been with the organization since 2009.
Clinicians and Support Staff
The Malama staff includes a dedicated and caring team of Certified Substance Abuse Counselors, Masters Level Therapists, Program Assistants, and Care Coordinators, as well as Child Watch staff for the Child Watch Center, BabySAFE Program Coordinator and Office Manager.
All Program Assistants have taken courses in Managing Aggressive Behavior, Motivational Interviewing and Non-Violent Communication. There are currently two staff members, including the BabySAFE Program Coordinator, who are certified as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder educators. On of our Program Assistants has been training by the American Lunch Association in nicotine cessation and provides a class once a week for all women in the facility.
Anthea Iuorno, LMFT, CSAC
Counselor
Anthea has many years of group and individual therapy experience and does assessments, health and wellness planning, group and individual therapy and counseling for our families. She has been with the organization since 2014.
Ramona Kihoi
Counselor
Ramona, a former client, joined the staff at Malama in 2018 as a Program Assistant and worked her way up to Care Coordinator and then Counselor. She is currently working on her CSAC. Ramona wants others know that no matter where you start in life, you can make your dream come true.
Corrine Kim, CSAC
Counselor
Corinne was previously with Malama from 2001 to 2009, when she served as a Monitor, Case Manager, TLP Coordinator and Counselor. She has over 13 years of experience providing case management services, providing support and linking individuals and families that were homeless, based on the Housing First concept. Corinne rejoined the MFRC Team on May 30, 2022 as a counselor to integrate her gift of dance therapy and encourage lifelong success in each clients’ recovery journey
Elizabeth Claxton, MA
Counselor
Elizabeth has her master’s in clinical mental health counseling and most recently worked as a substance abuse and mental health counselor at Aloha House. Elizabeth is thrilled to be at Malama Family Recovery Center, collaborating with a dedicated team to improve the lives of women and their children on Maui.
Megan Morrow, BA
Counselor, Baby SAFE Coordinator and Early Learning Center Coordinator
Megan oversees the Child Watch Center and provides early childhood developmental screenings, pregnancy support, and outreach and care coordination for all mothers and their children. Megan started with the organization in 2011.
Leah Kaea, CSAC
Care Coordinator
Leah works closely with clients and their families to understand their needs and goals and connect them with critical resources in the community. She also assesses clients, helps with the transitioning of care, and monitors and follows-up throughout their program. Leah is adept at communicating across the organization to promote client welfare and supporting client independence. Leah has been with Malama since 2007 and has a wealth of knowledge in the field..
Annette HueSing-Ammasi
Care Coordinator
Annette is a Care Coordinator for the women and children who are Victims of Crime. She helps link them with resources to build their foundation of recovery. She has been with the organization since 2015.
Roxanne Feiteira
Therapeutic Living Program Coordinator
Sharon Cornelio
Sober Living Program Coordinator
Your Generosity Helps Save Lives
Malama Family Recover Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your donation
is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
The Tax ID # for Malama Family Recovery Center is 99-0293044 .
FAQ
At Malama Family Recovery Center, we are deeply concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on our residents and our community. This update is in effect until further notice.
We continue to offer all of our services with changes made to meet the needs or the current situation. These programs include Therapeutic Living, Clean and Sober Housing (residential services) along with Intensive Outpatient, Outpatient, and Aftercare Programs. We are also offering telehealth options for clients in the community who need support and who are not living in one of our residential programs.
Precautions for New Clients
We have implemented additional screening precautions for new clients. Anyone with specific risk factors or displaying symptoms of COVID-19 will not be admitted to the facility. A negative COVID-19 test is required for admission to the Residential treatment program. Follow up testing and alternate housing is offered to ensure no accidental transmission of disease occurs.
Precautions for Residents and Staff
Staff members remain dedicated to serving our clients and are using the CDC recommended health and safety precautions around sanitation and prevention of disease spread.
External support meetings, such as AA and NA meetings, meetings with external providers, and visits of any kind have been cancelled or are being provided via telehealth or other technology at this time.
COVID-19 can cause potential hazards for those with drug use/abuse disorders, and be difficult for those with behavioral health issues.
When women come to us we conduct a Substance Abuse Assessment (either in person or over the phone) and get their detailed history of substance use in order to determine the extent of services needed. Sometimes a mental status evaluation is also needed to determine if there are any co-existing mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety. Taking clients’ mental stability into account is critical because substance use disorder among women is closely linked to traumatic events, as opposed to men, where substance use is typically linked to dependency needs.
Many of our services, whether it’s therapy, skill-building classes, recovery education, relapse prevention, stress/trauma reduction workshops, etc., are provided in a group format. By working alongside each other, clients feel part of a larger group and less alone. Bonds are often created in our groups that help our clients build a new family one that belongs to a strong recovery community.
We also provide individual and family counseling. Families of women in recovery have often lost trust due to the individual’s history with substance abuse. We work to reestablish this trust and rebuild healthy and strong relationships in order to create strong support networks.
Malama Family Recovery Center is the only agency on Maui that provides a continuum of gender-specific treatment services specifically for women in recovery from substance use disorder. Malama is a non-judgemental and comfortable place where women can privately and confidentially talk about their needs and concerns with caring professionals. Gender specificity in treatment is critical to successful outcomes because women who use/abuse substances share common life experiences and have needs distinct from their male counterparts.
Women typically represent a minority of the client population in mixed-gender substance use disorder treatment programs, which means that their unique needs are not always addressed. In addition, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that women enter the treatment system through different avenues than do men. Women’s point of entry to treatment tends to be linked to Child Protective Services, OB/GYN doctors, family intervention and referrals for treatment while in jail. We are able to offer enhanced programming related to mental health and medical care, victimization issues, parenting and family issues, child care, transportation, financial, employment and/or vocational needs.
We are also proud to integrate culturally competent strategies that incorporate Hawaiian and local cultures in substance use disorder healing, as a substantial percentage of our clients are of Native Hawaiian descent.
Since Malama opened its doors in 1990, we have served over 2,000 women. The community impact is tremendous, as studies indicate that every dollar invested in drug treatment can save $1-$12 in societal and medical costs, and that drug treatment can cut crime by 80%. Further, it costs approximately $32,000 to incarcerate one person for a year in Maui, compared to the estimated annual cost of $2,500 per person for Intensive Outpatient Treatment at Malama.
Pregnant and parenting women have priority in receiving substance use disorder treatment services at Malama. The earlier we can intervene with these families, the more likely we can successfully break the generational cycle of drug abuse, victimization and incarceration that has become so costly to our community. The teens we help often begin receiving services when they’re pregnant. Sometimes these are the daughters of women currently in our programs, and we try to make a difference in these young women’s lives so they can be free of the family patterns of abuse and addiction.
Because the women we serve are a high needs and difficult-to-reach population, we need to eliminate the most common barriers to treatment that women in recovery face. We eliminate these barriers in several ways: by not requiring clients have insurance in order to get help; providing transportation (to and from our facility, medical appointments, AA/NA meetings, mother-child visitations as part of the reunification process); and offering free childcare. Women also gain access to community parenting resources and classes. In order to address the wide range of client needs, we provide case management services and collaborate with several community agencies.
Access to childcare is one of the most common barriers to treatment for women, and we address this issue through our Child Watch Center, located in our main treatment and residential facility. While women are in treatment sessions and classes they know that their children are safe and well-cared for. This is a welcoming and friendly space that serves as a lounge for mothers and as a classroom for infants and children up to age five (exceptions can be made for older children as needed).
Staff members provide free developmental screenings for all children, make referrals to community agencies based on the screening scores and provide educational materials to mothers so they can help their children reach developmental milestones. The Child Watch Center also offers mothers parenting training and an opportunity to observe positive interaction and redirection techniques. Without the services provided in the Child Watch Center, many, if not most, of the children served would not otherwise receive these critical screenings and early interventions.
Malama Family Recovery Center is the ONLY place on Maui where young children and infants can live with their mothers while they receive services through residential programs. Women do not have to choose between getting healthy and being with their children — they can do both. We believe strongly in the power of a healing family setting. While clients get help, their children are nurtured in an environment that allows them to heal from negative life experiences. Our main facility, located in a residential home, provides an atmosphere that is warm and safe. Our staff is committed to providing a safe, sober and healthy environment for women to do the challenging work of healing themselves so they can create positive change for their families.
Malama Family Recovery Center accepts most insurance plans. For women without insurance or who are unable to pay for services (or for programs in which insurance cannot be billed), we are proudly funded by the following:
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Hawaii Department of Health — Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD)
- Hawaii State Judiciary
- Maui County
- Maui United Way
- Private Foundations and Charities
- Corporate Donors
- Individual Donors
