2025 Highlights from Vantage Clinical Consulting LLC + A Personal Note from our Founder, Jamelia Hand

As I look back on 2025, I’m reminded that this work is never just about metrics, projects, or deliverables. It’s about people, the real people who are trying to create healing in systems that were never designed with their needs in mind. Every training session, every consulting call, every policy update, every late-night writing session, and every conversation with a provider or family member reinforced a simple truth: there is still so much work to do, but there is also so much hope.

This year stretched me in ways I didn’t expect. Rebuilding and expanding Vantage while supporting clients across the country pushed me to grow as a leader, strategist, and human being. I heard stories of resilience that stayed with me. I witnessed moments of breakthrough — from clinicians who found their voice again, to leaders who embraced change, to organizations that shifted long-standing habits to better serve the people who walk through their doors.

What I’m most grateful for is the trust. The trust that organizations place in me. The trust families show when they share their stories. The trust my peers offer when they say, “We need your voice here.” It is an honor to do this work — and it is never lost on me that every training, every meeting, every recommendation can ripple outward into someone’s recovery journey.

2025 reminded me why I started Vantage in the first place: “To improve care, save lives, develop leaders, and shift the narrative around addiction and recovery.” And while the landscape continues to change with new technologies, new laws, new pressures, the heart of this work never does. Compassion, dignity, accountability, and human connection will always be the anchors.

Thank you to every partner, every colleague, every leader, every organization, and every community that allowed Vantage to be part of your work this year. Thank you for your patience, your spirit, your willingness to innovate, and your commitment to the people we serve.

2026 will ask even more of us. It will require more courage, more creativity, more collaboration. But if 2025 taught me anything, it’s that we are more than capable. We are resilient. We are strategic. And we are moving forward with purpose.

What We Delivered in 2025

• Served 36 organizations including outpatient treatment centers, hospitals, universities, coalitions, government agencies, and digital health companies

• Delivered 36 total trainings and workshops nationwide

• Trained 2,870 professionals both in person and virtually

• Completed 19 consulting engagements focused on clinical operations, compliance, marketing, technology adoption, and accreditation

• Expanded to 4 new states, strengthening cross sector reach and national alignment

• Obtained 12 new certificates in AI and Leadership topics

The growing number of organizations seeking guidance signals a clear truth. Behavioral health providers are being asked to deliver more with less, and they are actively reaching for partners who can help stabilize operations, shape strategy, and support workforce needs. Vantage’s role in 2025 was not only to guide organizations through complexity, but also to help them regain clarity and confidence in their mission.

Outcomes and Impact: Clinical and Operational Improvements

4 Chicago outpatient treatment clinics

• Patient retention increased 28 percent

• Revenue increased 20 percent

• Workflow disruptions decreased 45 percent

National treatment organization

• Referrals increased 33 percent

• Outreach productivity increased 30 percent

• Community engagement increased 40 percent

Ohio clinic cohort preparing for accreditation

• All clinics passed accreditation

• Compliance scores increased between 25 percent and 35 percent

Illinois based workforce development initiative

• 280 professionals trained

• Participating organizations saw an 18 percent improvement in staff retention

Every improvement this year demonstrated one consistent pattern. When organizations strengthen their internal systems, everything else improves. Better workflows lead to better staff morale. Better morale leads to better client engagement. Better engagement leads to stronger outcomes. In 2025, the results affirmed what we already know. Structure creates stability, and stability creates success.

Community Impact and Giving Back

Vantage continued to honor its commitment to community service and advocacy. In 2025, we:

• Delivered educational sessions to families and faith based communities at no cost

• Supported individuals navigating opioid treatment and recovery options through one on one guidance

• Offered pro bono consulting hours to community based organizations seeking help with overdose response planning

• Provided mentorship to students, early career professionals, and emerging leaders

• Supported awareness campaigns during National Recovery Month and International Overdose

International Overdose Awareness Day

• Used Vantage platforms to amplify stories of hope, honor those lost to addiction, and celebrate recovery

Giving back is not an optional value for us. It is a responsibility. Community work keeps us grounded in real stories and reminds us why advocacy and education matter. Every connection, every conversation, every moment of support reinforces the belief that healing can happen anywhere compassion and knowledge meet.

Thought Leadership and Strategic Tools Introduced in 2025

Publications and Influence

• Published 34 weekly Policy Watch issues, providing professionals with real time executive action updates.

• Content reached more than 52,000 readers and listeners

• Article engagement by more than 9,500 professionals, associations, state partners, and clinical leaders. That’s more than a 62% increase since 2024!

New Strategic Tools and Models

• Digital Readiness Self-Assessment

• Supportive Autonomy Model

• Assisted Outpatient Treatment Implementation Blueprint

• Peer Support Workforce Development Curriculum for Colleges & Universities

• NEW Trauma informed foundations training

• NEW Strength Based Motivational interviewing basics training

• NEW Ethics, boundaries, and self-disclosure training

• NEW Harm reduction and relapse prevention training

• NEW Cultural humility trainings

• Wellness Planning training and a NEW Recovery Capital Model

*Aligned with competencies published by American Society of Addiction Medicine, the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and other evidence based resources.

The field is shifting faster than many organizations can keep up with. Leaders are eager for tools that help them modernize without losing sight of quality or connection. These new frameworks helped organizations adopt technology responsibly, support peer support specialists effectively, and prepare for emerging care models such as Assisted Outpatient Treatment. This body of work has positioned Vantage as a strategic voice shaping the future of behavioral healthcare.

Awards, Recognition, and Leadership Roles

Awards Received 2025

• Our CEO received the prestigious Chicago Defender Woman of Excellence Leadership Award

• Mark Sanders Commitment to Advocacy Award

• Top Women Leaders of 2025 from Women We Admire Leadership Roles

• President Elect of the Illinois Association of Addiction Professionals

• Board Member of the Illinois Certification Board

• Advisory Board Member of the Governors State University Addictions Studies Program

• Mentor to more than 40 early career professionals

These recognitions serve as a reminder that leadership is built over time. They reflect years of service, advocacy, and learning by our CEO. Awards are not the goal. They simply highlight the collective effort of every client, partner, colleague, and community member who believes in the mission of improving care and saving lives.

What We Learned in 2025

• Human connection remains the single most important driver of engagement and recovery

• Technology is powerful, but it must be guided by ethics, supervision, and cultural alignment

• Leadership burnout can be reduced with structured support and real world tools

• Families improve outcomes when they are included early and often

• Organizations thrive when they slow down long enough to build the systems they need

Every lesson this year pointed toward one core truth. Healing happens when systems and people move in the same direction. When organizations are aligned, supportive, and grounded in compassion, the impact is immediate and undeniable.

Strategic Priorities for 2026

• Expand Digital Readiness and Supportive Autonomy services

• Launch the Vantage Recovery Leadership Institute

• Grow Vantage Policy Watch readership to more than 15,000

• Increase technical assistance for Assisted Outpatient Treatment, Medication Assisted

Treatment, and harm reduction implementation

• Host a national forum on ethical artificial intelligence in behavioral health (scheduled for Feb. 2026)

• Strengthen national workforce development pathways for peers, clinicians, supervisors, and program leaders

The coming year will demand courage, creativity, and collaboration. As policies evolve and technology accelerates, organizations that embrace thoughtful change will be the ones that shape the future. Vantage will continue to stand beside them, offering tools, strategy, and support.

A Motivational Look Ahead

2026 will bring new challenges. Funding will shift. Technology will continue to advance. Regulations will evolve. Workforce needs will grow. But so will opportunity.

We will see stronger cross sector partnerships.

We will see more leaders rising.

We will see better systems being built.

We will see communities leaning into recovery.

Here is the belief I am carrying into the new year.

We are not just improving programs. We are expanding possibilities. We are not just strengthening systems. We are saving lives. And the best work is yet to come.

With appreciation,

Jamelia Hand

CEO Vantage Clinical Consulting LLC