The New Hope Program

New Hope represents decades of collaboration between families of the chronically ill and respected medical professionals in implementing an innovative, replicable program that cares for individuals through rehabilitation of their physical, emotional and spiritual selves. New Hope's four-stage program focuses on individualized care and treatment in a clean and natural environment, the development of healthy living habits such as wholesome food and recreational activities, and developing vocational skills and attitudes essential for success in the broader community. The program is designed to support residents in recapturing -- or perhaps even discovering for the first time -- a zest for living.

New Hope 's Medical Director, Dr. Robert Hedaya, has developed an approach to treatment from well-documented research that recognizes the connection between mind and body, and the physiological nature of many chronic physical and mental illnesses. This research indicates that disorders of the brain and nervous system can be effectively treated by addressing physiological factors such as food and chemical sensitivities, disorders of lipid (fat) or carbohydrate (sugar) metabolism, nutritional deficiencies, and endocrine imbalances. Thus, the treatment protocol for each resident will be based on the results of comprehensive testing of individual nutritional, immune, hormonal, toxicologic, and gastrointestinal systems. These tests will identify any physical dysfunctions or imbalances contributing to the resident's illness. It is our belief that close monitoring of compliance with individualized treatment plans in a stable, supportive atmosphere, will result in very significant improvement in the lives of New Hope 's residents.

Several features set New Hope apart from existing programs. All New Hope buildings will be constructed to very high standards of chemical cleanliness. Tobin Builders of Silver Spring, Maryland will be the general contractor, with architectural design and supervision by Bennett Frank McCarthy, Inc. Each participant will receive individualized treatment, including specialized meals to address food allergies. Graduates will be eligible to receive further assistance on a lifetime basis from New Hope professional staff. This unique safety net appeals strongly to parents as the first acceptable answer to the question, "What will happen to our child when we're gone?"

The twenty-six members of the New Hope Advisory Board represent the impressive range of professional support the program has attracted. Internationally recognized psychiatrist Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D. of Victoria, B.C., Canada has written, "I am, of course, delighted that you are at last going to achieve your dream -- which has been in the making for such a long time -- with your New Hope. We desperately need these residential programs all across the country and, in fact, in both countries."

Robert J. Hedaya, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University and author of Understanding Biological Psychiatry and The Anti-Depressant Survival Program , will oversee the psychiatric and medical aspects of the program. Dr. Hedaya has developed an approach toward treatment called “Whole Psychiatry” which incorporates recent breakthroughs in psychopharmacology, nutrition, immunology, gastroenterology and endocrinology in a single integrative, holistic approach. Dr. Hedaya comments about New Hope that, "There is absolutely no existing program that evaluates and treats multiple body systems involved in the genesis or exacerbation of symptoms. It is my firm belief that a program combining a stable, supportive atmosphere, follow-up monitoring of compliance, and the Whole Psychiatry approach will result in a very significant improvement in outcomes."

Unique Features of New Hope

New Hope 's residential facility will be built to the highest standards of environmental cleanliness. The greatest care will be used to select building materials which are nontoxic and hypoallergenic.

Residents will participate in three 4-month rehabilitative stages followed by a graduate level that will involve independent living and continuing support by the New Hope program, if desired.

Stage I

The first four-month stage will emphasize adherence to medical and nutritional regimens and habits of a healthy lifestyle. Participants will participate in recreational activities, learn to prepare well-balanced meals for themselves, take care of their group home and the grounds surrounding it, participate in organic farming and improve their social skills through staff-directed activities.

Stage II

The second stage will concentrate on preparation for employment with emphasis on teamwork and how to apply for and hold a job. Instruction in marketable skills ranging from typing and word-processing to outdoor activities such as organic farming will be offered. Qualified residents may enroll for selected courses at nearby educational institutions.

Stage III

Residents will assume more independent roles while still living at New Hope . They will work in the neighboring community or at New Hope , itself, in preparation for regular employment following graduation.

Throughout all three stages, New Hope staff will work closely with the residents in identifying and nurturing their individual aptitudes and interests. Staff will provide support in finding appropriate employment for Stage III and beyond.

Stage IV : Lifelong Support System

New Hope 's staff will help graduates find apartments in Maryland and will provide graduates with lifelong counseling and support. An association of parents and other family members will have an important role in establishing and operating Stage IV.

Admissions Process

New Hope will accept formal applications shortly after construction begins on its residential facility. Under current projections, the program's first group home will be ready to open its doors December 2007.

Admission to New Hope requires renunciation of all use of tobacco, alcohol, street drugs and other substances known to produce neurotoxicity in susceptible individuals. A careful screening process will take place to identify those who will most benefit from the residential experience. In the interests of the residents, staff and neighbors of New Hope , those who are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others will not be admitted to the program.

Applicants judged to be capable of benefiting from the New Hope Program will be admitted on a space-available basis with priority given to the earliest registered applicants.

Tests for biochemical deficiencies and imbalances and individual treatment plans for each resident of New Hope will be administered under the direction of Dr. Robert Hedaya, New Hope 's Medical Director. The Pfeiffer Treatment Center of Naperville, Illinois, under the direction of William Walsh, Ph.D., and Dr. Patricia Kane, Director of Medical Research at the Body Bio Center in Millville , New Jersey , will work with Dr. Hedaya on testing and treatment. Kenneth N. Krischer, M.D., Director of the Florida Institute of Neuro-Dynamics, a non-profit research-treatment center, will be available to New Hope , for consultation.