Ric has a long-term personal knowledge of recovery. His interest in the field started more than 20 years ago when his family purchased The Friary treatment facility located in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Mr. Ohrstrom actively participated in the management of The Friary until it was sold in 1990. Following the sale of The Friary, Mr. Ohrstrom established the Committee on Treatment Benefits (COB) in partnership with the nation's oldest addictions advocacy movement, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD).
Before COB parted company with the NCADD in 1997, it played a vital role in creating a national dialogue around moving the addiction treatment field toward outcomes-based purchasing. COB subsequently worked closely with the New Jersey (NJ) NCADD to design, build and implement the innovative NJ Welfare to Work Substance Abuse Initiative. COB's successor organization, the Coalition on Outcomes Based Benefits (COBB) continued to work in America, but also expanded its operations overseas, embarking on large governmental projects in the UK, Jamaica and the Far East.
Mr. Ohrstrom now travels extensively in the Middle East, working to expand the regional network of addiction data collection that COBB has played a seminal role in founding. A founding member of C4 Recovery Solutions, Mr. Ohrstrom currently serves as its chair.
