Shane Leonard co-founded Into Action Recovery Centers (IARC) in 2010 with a sincere desire to assist others in recovering from addiction. His goals for IARC are to provide a local resource for quality treatment at an affordable cost in an environment that is most conducive to positive outcomes. To help with that, he turned to LegitScript.
Into Action Recovery Centers (IARC) specializes in personalized treatment for drug and alcohol abuse in Houston, Texas, and is led by experienced master’s-level counselors and medical professionals. In addition to offering the most current, evidenced based treatment modalities, IARC believes that spiritual development and healthy recovery can bring inner peace to clients who are overcoming addiction and substance abuse.
IARC takes a client-centric approach, from client interactions and staff communication to community relationships. The high-quality facilities are located near a major medical center, and they offer a full continuum of care, from medically assisted detox, to residential treatment, to partial hospitalization, and intensive out-patient.
Even if the requirement were to be dropped from Google, Bing, and Facebook, we are honored and proud to be LegitScript-certified and will likely maintain this certification as long as LegitScript offers a certification for this industry.
-Shane Leonard, Co-Founder
In the following Q&A, Shane talks about his experience of applying for LegitScript Certification, and why he would recommend it to other addiction treatment providers looking to expand their business.
What prompted IARC to apply for LegitScript certification, and how was the process for you?
As with many contemporaries in our industry, we were prompted to pursue a LegitScript Certification when it became a requirement to utilize major search engines’ advertising platforms (Facebook, Google, and Microsoft Ads). The certification process was very thorough, and in such, did take some effort to compile and submit all the required information. However, as we are fully licensed and accredited by the State of Texas and Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (“CARF”), respectively, it was simply a matter of assembling the requirements and submitting the requested pieces of existing information to LegitScript.
How did LegitScript's process compare to other certifications or accreditations you have?
The LegitScript process for certification was very similar to our other certifications and accreditations. We took the process as a way to prove that IARC was fully in compliance with the legal and regulatory aspects of our industry, as well as a great operator that provides exceptional services to its clients.
Why did you choose to get certified even though you are already accredited?
Though we hold several, contiguous multi-year accreditations from CARF, LegitScript was chosen by major search engines as a means to certify the safest, most trustworthy and legitimate Treatment Centers in order to be able to advertise on their platforms. As with any industry, nefarious operators do exist in the Treatment Center space as well. We applaud these major search engines’ efforts to thwart those illicit activities by utilizing a certification process with LegitScript.
In an industry that has faced issues of trust and safety, why is certification important?
As shared above, we are keenly aware that nefarious operators within our industry have marred some of the public trust of the many good treatment centers in this country. Because of that, an additional layer of certification with LegitScript is yet another great way to try and protect consumers from being harmed by those bad operators. IARC, as with many other good treatment centers, is happy to participate in and fulfill the certification requirements in order to aid in that protection to potential clients and their families.
Does LegitScript Certification help prospective patients and families feel that your facility is safe and trustworthy?
We believe so! We readily share all of our accreditation and certification accomplishments with clients and their families, as well as any industry recognitions such as Newsweek ranking IARC as One of the Best Addiction Treatment Centers 2020 and Help.org also ranking IARC as one of the Best Rehab Facilities in the greater area. All of these accomplishments give credence to the legitimacy of IARC and speak to the fact that we operate safely and in the best interest of our clients and their families who have trusted us with their loved one.
Was there anything you had to fix to come into compliance?
No, there wasn’t. As a fully licensed and multi-year accredited treatment center, IARC was already fully in compliance with the standards set by LegitScript. In order to achieve our certification, we simply needed to provide similar information to LegitScript.
How does LegitScript certification work into your online advertising plan?
As a requirement for major search engines in order to advertise on their platforms, earning and maintaining a LegitScript certification is very important to our online advertising plan. Even if the requirement were to be dropped from Google, Bing, and Facebook, we are honored and proud to be LegitScript certified and will likely maintain this certification as long as LegitScript offers a certification for this industry.
Any advice for others in the addiction treatment industry who are considering LegitScript Certification?
Any treatment center that is interested in aiding in the protection of clients and their families from nefarious operators in our space should participate in the LegitScript Certification process. The process is not overly cumbersome, especially for already accredited facilities, and should not be considered a burden but rather another way to legitimize your treatment center in order to help those whom may need your services.
Are you an addiction treatment provider in the US? Get certified!
Become a certified addiction treatment provider and unlock the benefits of LegitScript Certification today, including the ability to participate in online advertising on Google, Bing, and Facebook. Many of the world’s leading companies require or recognize LegitScript Certification.