Oxford Treatment Center honors founder of nursing program

 Tammy England reflects on time at Oxford Treatment Center

Oxford Treatment Center’s longtime director of nursing will depart from her position this month.

Tammy England departs from her position as director of nursing this month. England has worked for the Oxford Treatment Center since 2012 in a handful of influential roles, including head of nursing and leading the center’s utilization review team.

Tammy England has served as director of nursing since 2012. A licensed nurse, England has worked in nursing for 28 years, spending the last decade in the addiction-treatment field.

Her experience includes staff development and training, quality initiatives, risk management and electronic medical records.

England was recruited to the Oxford Treatment Center by former CEO Billy Young.

“When Billy reached out to me I was nervous about making the move,” England said. “Looking back, I have had nothing but positive experiences. I have been very privileged to work with wonderful people here. I am so glad I made the leap.”

England’s career in addiction treatment was guided by her own experiences with addiction.

“Addiction is close to my heart. My family’s own fight with addiction has guided my passion for helping others who are struggling with their addiction,” England said.

As England departs from the Oxford Treatment Center she is confident in the team she leaves behind.

I am honored to have contributed to the work being done here.

“I am honored to have contributed to the work being done here,” she said. “I am confident that the staff here will continue to work hard to fight addiction and to work for our patients.”

At the Oxford Treatment Center, England has served as direct supervisor of nursing, supervisor of mental and behavioral health technicians and director of nursing.

She has been instrumental in leading the utilization review team, which advocates patients’ cases to insurance companies in order to receive needed care.

“My first experience working with insurance to get patients the care they need was here and it was probably my most significant undertaking,” England said. “It’s a good feeling when you can successfully advocate for a patient.”

England said the work in addiction treatment is about the daily fight against the disease of addiction. That includes informing others about the true nature of addiction.

“There’s a lot of people in our culture that still think addiction is a choice not a disease,” she said. “Unfortunately, people do not wake up and choose to never use again.”

“That is why having a support system and people dedicated to progressing addiction treatment is important,” England said.

“Addiction is a disease that isolates. It doesn’t allow hope to shine through. When people are in addiction they think the only way they can survive is to take that next drink or next drug.”

Throughout her career in addiction treatment, England said she learned the importance of hope.

Our job is to rebuild hope in our patients- to show them that there is hope outside of addiction.

“Our job is to rebuild hope in our patients- to show them that there is hope outside of addiction,” she said.

“We want to instill the tools they need and build that hope back in them, let them know there are people who genuinely care and want to help them.”