February, 7th, 2014 To whom it may concern: HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL John F. Kelly, PhD Director, Addiction Recovery Management Service Director, Recovery Research Institute Associate Director, Center for Addiction Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine, Harvard Medical School Advisor to the White House I am writing this letter in support of Miguel Coll with whom I have become acquainted during the past year. During this time I have had numerous opportunities to interact with Miguel and to learn about his addiction treatment and recovery initiatives in Puerto Rico. In brief, Miguel is one of the most passionate, dedicated, and skilled individuals I have encountered, and I have no doubt that the combination of attributes and talents he possesses, have the potential to do much good in the addiction and recovery field in Puerto Rico. I have given him my full support. I first met Miguel after my Chief of our psychiatry department at Massachusetts General Hospital, Jerry Rosenbaum, MD, referred Miguel to me. Miguel was looking for me to provide expertise in addiction treatment and to provide the scientific overview on specific recovery-focused therapies, such as Twelve-Step Facilitation, at a conference he was organizing in San Juan. What was clear from the very beginning of my interactions with Miguel was his passion and commitment to make changes for the better in Puerto Rico for those suffering from addiction. Although I did not know him, his enthusiasm and commitment was inspiring and infectious. His good humor and respectful tone helped much as well, and without too much further conversation, I agreed to participate. The conference was attended by about 1,000 individuals from all stakeholder constituencies in Puerto Rico. It was an amazing turnout. I have to say, I was extremely impressed by Miguel’s ability and energy. He not only was able to mobilize amazing attendance levels at short notice, but also secure the attendance of government officials, including the governor of Puerto Rico himself, as well as the media. We conducted several press interviews while in Puerto Rico. I have remained in contact with Miguel since last March, 2013, when I participated in his conference in San Juan. I have spoken to him regularly since this time and he appears to have an unyielding commitment to make things happen for the better in Puerto Rico. Although I do not know in detail his personal business affairs, I believe he has been tremendously successful in his career. His interpersonal and business skills combined with his dedication to help those suffering from addiction find long-term recovery are likely to prove helpful in overcoming the many strategic and economic barriers to accomplishing the goal of greater availability and accessibility of treatment and recovery support services for those in need in Puerto Rico. Miguel is open about his own long-term recovery from addiction, and is now in his third decade of recovery. It is clear that this is one of the major driving forces behind his passion for positive change in Puerto Rico. I believe it also gives him the ability to understand more deeply what is at stake in individuals’ and family’s lives, and what it takes to achieve and maintain long-term recovery far beyond initial medical stabilization. Furthermore, his own recovery I believe has endowed him with the ability to tackle these issues with necessary sensitivity and respect. Also clear, is that Miguel is not afraid to acknowledge and address his own knowledge and skill deficits, as he reaches out to ask for help and engage those who can help him. These are commendable skills that are likely to aid him in achieving his goals. I will be continuing to give my support to Miguel’s efforts in Puerto Rico. If I can provide further information please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, John F. Kelly
Posted on: Fri, 07 Feb 2014 22:21:24 +0000
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