HELPING THE DRUG-AFFLICTED
The national problem of drug abuse, especially among the young, has no easy answers—only steady, dedicated work by a great many people will minimize it. Among those working at the problem is George (Borne) Patten ’52, administrator of the Hillandale Center, an 80-acre secluded retreat located on Signal Mountain, 14 miles from Chattanooga, Tenn. One of his chief aides is his wife Mary Jo, who serves as Youth Director.
Hillandale was established as a private, non-profit corporation by the Hamilton County Episcopal Commission of Chattanooga, which was seeking a way to help young people ensnared by the drug habit. The magnificent Bethel Bible School complex on Signal Mountain happened to be available and it was purchased for use by the Center. Because of the multi-purpose character of the property, it was decided to include a program for the rehabilitation of Alcoholics.
The Center has family-like accommodations Ior some thirty residents, and the first person to seek its help was admitted in April 1970. “Hillandale is really a philoso- phy more than a place.” says Borne Patten. “We believe that to condemn a person for the use of drugs, including alcohol, is to render him incapable of making common- sense decisions about his present state and his future destiny. Hillandale’s primary pur- pose is to provide an atmosphere of under- standing where an individual can, without distracting influences, make up his own mind about what he wants from life and what he expects to give to life.”
The policy of a “therapeutic community” has been adopted so each resident can be in- volved in the well-being of everyone else and through group living can learn to help others. The program of therapy is informal, with individual counseling, group meetings, and hobby and recreational involvement. The minimum stay is four weeks, and this can be extended. Young people have a club room, and the facilities for males and females of all ages include a gymnasium, library read- ing room, nature and hiking trails, and a large mountain lake for swimming, boating and fishing. The isolated serenity of moun- tain woodlands is one of the important therapeutic assets.
For those able to pay, the four-week fee is $5OO. But contributions are solicietd in order to provide for those who do not have the means to finance their rehabilitation. The Center has a medical advisory board, but it cannot take those who are in need of hospitalization.
Borne Patten, who administers Hillandale, has a background of manufacturing and of running the Patten Motor Company, but his many years as an Episcopal Sunday School teacher gave him his interest in young peo- pie and led to his decision to direct the Hamilton County Episcopal Commission’s program to help the drug-afflicted. His wife Mary Jo, a graduate of Randolph-Macon, shares his dedication, is the mother of four from ages 5 to 17, and has had lots of experience working with young people.
George Patten ’52 and his wife Mary Joat the Hillandale Center in Tennessee.
