Steve DeGroot
Recovery Services Administrator
Recovery Innovations of Arizona
I came out to Arizona from Iowa to play football at Northern Arizona University in 1986 and decided to stay here in Arizona. In 1988 I started a family and have been blessed with three wonderful children who have been my life. I started working with children in a group home and then moved to a private hospital for children with mental illnes. I decided I wanted to work with adults and started with MCM/Codama as a Case Manager. I was promoted to Team Leader on a specialty team working in the jails and prisons.
In July 2000 I had some very serious medical challenges which placed me in intensive care and the cardiac care unit for a little over a month. It was during this time that I realized that I need to help people recover just as others had helped me in my recovery. These challenges changed my life forever; I realized how important life is, how important my children are, and how important my wife is to me.
Realizing I wanted to continue my role in helping others find their own recovery and managing the limited funds available effectively, I decided to further my eduction by obtaining my Bachelors in Business Management. During this time I took over as a Site Manager at a direct care clinic. This dual role of student and site manager supported my realization that I could provide programs and support systems that would raise the level of care and self-sufficiency of those engaged in the behavioral health care system. This latest ephiphany led me to seek a Masters in Business with an emphasis in health care management. With these important tools under my belt, I have now spent more than 20 years working in the behavioral health field with an extensive background.
When I began my work at Recovery Innovations in November 2008, I realized how vital the concept of "recovery" truly is in strengthening an individual's ability to manage their own life. Each of us, as individuals, truly are the best authority of ourselves. I live each day by our mission at Recovery Innovations..."to create opportunities and environments that empower people to recover, to succeed in accomplishing their goals and to reconnect to themselves, otheres and meaning and purpose in life."
I am proud of my accomplishments and the truths I have learned of the power of a person believing in who they are and remembering they are not a diagnoisis - they are a human being in charge of their own destiny.