Our Mission, Vision, and Values

We are promoting comprehensive wellness for individuals and families by providing integrated, culturally-responsive health and social care focused on substance use and mental well-being. We center our care in equity, compassion, and innovation through biomedical and behavioral research. By caring for people, we are uplifting and strengthening communities and nurturing hope for a better tomorrow.

Our Leadership

Jonnel C. Doris, MPPA, MDIV – Chief Executive Officer

Jonnel C. Doris is the CEO of START Treatment + Recovery Centers, Inc. He previously served as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services and as the founding Executive Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises.

Since he was named CEO in 2022, Mr. Doris has led our teams to secure over $9 million for START Treatment & Recovery Centers, Inc, funding new programs, research, partnerships, and expanded services to better meet community needs.

Our Legacy

Dr. Beny J. Primm, a national leader in research and health care, founded our organization on the principle of providing compassionate care for anyone who needs it. Dr. Primm’s ethos still inspires and drives our work today. We have kept pace to meet shifting healthcare and social needs by expanding our core services and building new programs based on community feedback, with plans to evolve to directly support access to housing, food, healthcare, and economic opportunity. StartCare continues to ensure our communities receive the services they need for improved and sustained physical and mental health, always grounding care in relationships and centering community in our work.

Our Approach

StartCare takes a holistic equity-focused approach in addressing our communities’ wellness by meeting people where they are. We integrate care that prioritizes addressing the social determinants of health. Where people live, learn, and work, access to healthy food, economic opportunity, and other environmental factors can all affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life outcomes. We work with our participants to think through all of the ways in which they can address their individual needs to thrive.

In addition to our traditional treatment services like therapy and medication management, we also incorporate prevention and harm reduction strategies like education and overdose prevention training.