Dr. Jessamyn Brockhurst, MD
Medical Director
Board-certified in addiction medicine and internal medicine. Seven years at our Long Beach hospital partner before joining MDCR full-time. Sits on the hospital's clinical research committee.
About MDCR Rehab
Our Story
In 2013, a regional hospital system serving Long Beach faced a familiar, painful pattern: emergency departments were stabilizing overdose patients, discharging them 24 hours later, and watching many return within weeks. The referral options for post-stabilization care were thin, and the ones that existed operated without any connection to the hospital's medical records or clinical team.
MDCR Rehab opened in 2014 as a clinical partnership designed to close that gap. Our North Waite Court campus sits within walking distance of the emergency departments that refer into us. Records follow the patient; care continues without the break that too often defines the ED-to-recovery transition.
Twelve years later, we operate 59 beds with 119 staff and have served more than 9,900 patients. The hospital partnership is still how we work — it is why the medical community in Long Beach refers its own family members into this program.
Our Mission
To deliver addiction treatment that moves with the evidence, not with the industry. Our clinical protocols are reviewed quarterly against current peer-reviewed research, our medical director sits on our hospital partner's research committee, and every treatment plan is built around what the data says works — not what was standard a decade ago.
Treatment Philosophy
Creative expression as healing. Our creative arts studio is programmed daily because verbal therapy alone reaches only part of how trauma is processed. Art therapy, music therapy, and psychodrama are licensed clinical modalities here — not enrichment activities.
Peer accountability. Every resident is paired with a peer mentor within 72 hours of admission. Alumni Saturday meetings, sponsored by current residents, keep the peer network alive long after discharge. Research consistently shows peer support is one of the strongest predictors of long-term sobriety.
Trauma-informed approach. Every staff member — clinical, nursing, housekeeping, kitchen — is trained in trauma-informed practice. The ACE research has been clear for decades that unaddressed trauma is the dominant driver of relapse, and we treat that finding as operational, not optional.
Our Team
Dr. Idris Babayemi, DO
Addiction Psychiatrist, Dual Diagnosis Lead
Board-certified in psychiatry with a subspecialty in addiction psychiatry. Manages psychiatric medication for every dual diagnosis patient and reviews each integrated treatment plan.
Evangelina "Vangie" Rivera-Marsh, LCSW
Director of Clinical Services
Licensed clinical social worker with 18 years of Long Beach practice. Oversees individual, group, and family therapy across all levels of care. Bilingual Spanish/English.
Octavius Merriwether, ATR-BC
Director of Creative Arts Therapies
Board-certified art therapist. Designs and supervises the art therapy, music therapy, and psychodrama programming.
Lucinda Hornblower, RN, MSN
Director of Nursing
Fifteen years of hospital nursing leadership before joining MDCR. Trains nursing hires in trauma-informed bedside practice and coordinates handoffs with our hospital partner.
Thaddeus "Tad" Underhill, CADC-II
Peer Support & Alumni Lead
Personally in long-term recovery; MDCR alumnus from 2016. Runs peer mentor pairing, weekly alumni meetings, and the 90-day post-discharge check-in program.
Testimonials
"I was going to walk out on day three. I didn't. Fourteen months sober. The team earned my trust one honest answer at a time."
— Brennan T., reluctant-starter arc
"The dual diagnosis team found what ten years of outpatient therapy missed. New plan, new life."
— Tamara E., dual-diagnosis-discovery arc
"Weekly calls with specifics, not reassurance. That's how MDCR kept us included in our son's treatment."
— Rosa D., parent-perspective arc