Big Island Substance Abuse Council

Big Island Substance Abuse Council is a nonprofit outpatient addiction treatment center on Waianuenue Avenue in Hilo, Hawaii across from the Hilo Library. Its programs are CARF accredited.

They include general and intensive outpatient treatment with case management for adolescents and adults and appointments are available in office or via telehealth. It operates as more than just a clinic.

It also houses the Hawaiʻi Island Health and Wellness Center where they integrate health screens and nutrition with land based education and addiction treatment.

Therapeutic Horticulture and Vocational Training

The Hilo outpatient office houses the Hawaiʻi Island Health and Wellness Center. This allows clients to receive health screening and nutrition and diabetic education alongside substance use counseling with wraparound services.

This includes smoking cessation and vocational training. Therapeutic horticulture is delivered through land based education.

This is important if substance use has come with neglected physical health or unstable employment instead of addiction treatment in isolation and a referral for everything else.

Big Island Substance Abuse Council addresses the surrounding conditions in the same setting. This suits clients who need broader stabilization in addition to counseling.

A "Puʻuhonua" for Addiction Clients

BISAC traces its roots to a grassroots committee founded by Reverend Gerald Loweth which was the Big Island Substance Abuse Council in 1964 and its long standing role in East Hawaii shows in how community partners describe it.

One partner organization called it "a puʻuhonua for many of our patients." This uses the Hawaiian term for a place of refuge.

A drug court partner highlighted the organization's work with participants facing the most difficult legal and substance abuse problems and noted its flexibility and willingness to make an extraordinary effort to give someone a chance to succeed.

BISAC also serves criminal justice and forensic clients. They focus eligibility on Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians which reflects a program that is built around this specific community rather than a generic model.

Big Island Substance Abuse Council serves clients across Hawaiʻi County. They accept Medicaid and Medicare as well as private insurance and government funding with fees based on treatment needs and coverage.