Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com June 8, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 13 quickly, and in 1985, the hospital closed its other units and focused exclusively on substance abuse treatment. The next year, Hillis bought the hospital from the local physicians who had owned it and renamed it AdCare, a name that put it at the top of its category in the phone book. The A and D were a subtle nod to the alcohol and drug problems the hospital treated. "I wanted to say what we did, but I didn't," Hillis said. "Even though there's still a stigma now, in those days there was even a greater stigma." Hillis helped fight that stigma not just on the job but also in the attitudes he passed on to his kids. His son, Jeffrey W. Hillis, now president of AdCare, said he was at the hospital a lot as a kid. Starting at 14, he worked in housekeeping, and later in maintenance and accounting. "I sort of grew up here, in a way," he said. Jeffrey Hillis said his early experiences at AdCare shaped the way he saw substance abuse issues. "We treat the patients that the rest of the community doesn't want to treat," he said. "People who complete treatment and live a recovery-based life are wonderful people." Viewing addiction as a disease comparable to any other, the family retained AdCare's identity as a hospi- tal — not a rehab center or residential facility. David Hillis said that allows them to treat not just addiction but physical or mental illnesses their patients may also be suffering from. "The ability for us to have a comprehensive service was always very important for us," he said. "We can take very complicated patients that the other treatment facilities in the field cannot take, and yet we can also take the less complicated cases." Wide-ranging network In addition to its 114-bed inpatient center in Worcester and a treatment center in Rhode Island that it acquired last year, AdCare has a network of outpa- tient facilities, with services ranging from full-day programs to monthly counseling, as well as support for families. It also has a separate arm serving correctional institutions. "They're one of the most respected treatment pro- grams in the country," said Mark J. Covall, director of operations and communications for the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems, where Jeffrey Hillis serves on the board of directors and chairs the Addiction Treatment Committee. "They've developed a very unique treatment model which is a hospital-based addiction treatment program." Covall said he thinks AdCare's unusual status as a family-run facility helps them take a longer view. "They've built an impressive program," he said. To the Hillises, operating as a family business is valu- able, but it's also important that each family member carve out his or her own niche. David W. Hillis Jr.— David Sr.'s son and Jeffrey's brother—holds a master's degree in psychology and works as vice president of outpatient services. David Sr.'s wife, Dr. Patrice Muchowski-Hillis, vice president of clinical services, is a psychologist and researcher. David Jr.'s wife, Susan B. Hillis, AdCare's clinical treatment director, is a licensed P H O T O / M A T T V O L P I N I social worker, and David Sr.'s brother, James W. Hillis, serves as director of environmental services. After earning his law degree, Jeffrey Hillis worked at Deloitte & Touche for three years before returning to the family business. When he went to AdCare, he said, he knew working with his family might be a bit odd. "We frequently make a joke about (how) sometimes Thanksgiving dinner ends up being like a board meet- ing," he said. But, if business can seep into family time, the ethos of family life suffuses the business too. David Hillis Sr. said he knows it's a bit clichéd to say his staff and patients are like family, but that's a metaphor he uses every time he talks to newly hired workers about treating patients who can sometimes be hard to handle: "In my opinion, there's one easy way to provide quality care. The way to do it is simple: Treat the patient as if it's your mother." n Chairman and CEO: David W. Hillis Sr. President: Jeffrey W. Hillis Generation in charge: 2nd Website: www.800alcohol.com Aimtek Inc., Auburn Page 14 Fuller Automotive, Auburn Page 16 Knights Airport Limousine, Shrewsbury Page 18 Worcester Fitness, Worcester Page 20

• Cover