Chris Policano, 2015 March 11

Containers:
Box 3
Scope and content:

Chris Policano details his pathway to Phoenix House and shares backstory about the building that was slated to be the Nancy Reagan Center and the process of establishing good relations with the Lake View Terrace community. He discusses the therapeutic community method and Phoenix House's role in explaining the crack epidemic to stakeholders during the 1980s. He narrates the challenges of de-stigmatizing the images of addicts, and of defending long-term residential care to the public, funders and doctors. He then speaks on organizational culture and leadership.

Interview by Lance Thurner.

Biographical / historical:

Chris Policano served as Phoenix House's media liaison and public relations director between 1989 and 2007. Born and raised in the outer boroughs of New York City, he joined Phoenix House after a brief stint in the public relations business. He was closely involved with the public relations elements of Phoenix House's expansion into southern California. He also worked with the media throughout Phoenix House's peak years as addiction experts, at a time when the nation was increasingly nervous about the crack epidemic in the 1980s. At the time of the interview, he was serving as Public Affairs Director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO.

Access and use

Parent restrictions:
Access: Open.
Parent terms of access:
Copyright by The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2014-2015.
Location of this collection:
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Contact:
oralhist@library.columbia.edu