Staff Spotlight
Meet Ann Hirschman
Guardian Recovery Network has rapidly become one of the most reputable and well-known providers of substance use and mental health treatment in the country. Not only is our prominence in the industry defined by an innovative and integrated approach to addiction treatment, but also by our incredible staff of compassionate, dedicated, and truly awe-inspiring individuals.
Among these individuals is Ann Hirschman — an unassuming 76-year old grandmother who has been making a major impact in the medical community (and the world at large) since the 1960s.
“But I can still kick my leg above my head without warming up,” Ann notes. “Sometimes I do that for clients so they know I’m not some pushover little old lady.”
Featured in multiple publications including The New York Times, Ann now calls Princeton Detox & Recovery Center home, gracing the facility with her wealth of knowledge, medical prowess, and her spunky, spitfire attitude.
“What I do at Princeton on the day-to-day is primary care,” Ann explains. “I’ve been doing primary medical care for well over 50 years. I take care of all medical needs, whether that looks like developing and implementing protocols for medical detox, tending to clients who have the flu or a head cold, treating toothaches, broken bones, high blood pressure; whatever people come in with, I make sure that adequate treatment is being administered. It’s my job to make sure that clients stay safe. I tell clients upfront, ‘We will keep you as comfortable as we can, right after we’re done keeping you safe. If there’s a choice to be made between keeping you comfortable and keeping you safe, we will keep you safe.’ I also do a lot of client education; education on the safety of certain medications, for example. Education on the drug supply. A lot of clients who use illegal drugs like heroin, for example, aren’t aware that the drugs they use are often contaminated with bacteria. Part of my personal practice is educating clients wherever I can.”
Bringing a Wealth of Knowledge to PDRC
Ann states that part of her value at Princeton Detox & Recovery Center is her personal experience, coupled with the fact that she always shows up ready to do whatever it takes to get the job done. “My speciality is primary medical care,” she says. “Though, I also have a background in mental health. I worked for 18 years in a psych facility, but I did primary medical care. I’m a family nurse practitioner. I also bring to the table my background in political activism. I’ve been a street medic. For my entire career I have chosen to work with underserved populations. Folks who need medical care and might not always have access to it. That has always been my focus.”
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A Storied Woman
When asked if she runs her own private practice, Ann says, “I do. But as my late husband would have said, I run the most expensive private practice in the country. I’ve worked my whole career to be able to treat the people I treat with no compensation. People who are political activists, demonstrators, war veterans. Veterans call me up at 3 o’clock in the morning because they need help. In 2012, there were demonstrations going on around the debates when President Obama was running. One of the demonstrators got kicked in the face by a horse; that was about 90 miles from me. I diagnosed his fractured skull and created a treatment plan on a video over the phone. That was one of my better ones.”
No question, Princeton Detox & Recovery Center is thrilled to have such an influential and experienced practitioner onboard. “One of the things I love about working for Guardian is that we do pay attention to the medical and safety issues very closely,” she says. “But we also respect our clients as humans. Everyone on our staff treats each individual like the valuable human being they are. This is something that should be happening everywhere, unfortunately, it often doesn’t happen. This is especially true if a person is struggling with addiction or a mental health issue. Sometimes folks get shunted. That’s something I’ve been fighting against for the past 50 plus years, and it’s something I will continue fighting against. Everyone at PDRC has the same mindset. Also, people who are new to treatment and who are coming to detox need nurturing; they need compassion and understanding. They need to learn how to be sober. But first, their bodies need to get safely through the worst of it — and that’s what we do. I think we do a really good job of it.”
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When asked how she spends her free time, Ann responds, “When I’m not at work or playing with my grandchildren I do political action and I take care of people. It’s what I do when I’m at work, it’s what I do when I’m off work; it’s who I am.”
