Indianapolis inpatient team

If you would like to get in touch with Sam, please email [email protected].

I’ve always felt in my heart that my purpose in life was to help other people but I had no idea that life would take a turn in the direction that it did – that my substance abuse disorder would become the driving force and helping others would become the last thing on my mind. The irony is, that when I finally received help, the passion to help others returned. This path has led me to RCA and I’m extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work with patients; to see their hope begin to rise. I also get to then be a part of their continued journey once they leave; to see the light turn and watch them experience joy.

Getting connected was vital for me early on as well as in long-term recovery. Having supportive people to help guide me along this path and show me how to live because if I knew how to live, I would’ve done it a long time ago. As an Alumni Coordinator, I am privileged to do the same thing with our alumni that was done for me, and stress the importance of building a fellowship to not only enjoy the great times, but to have a group to lean into when the trials of life hit.

Darius Brannon, MSEd, LCAC, LICDC (OH), joined Recovery Centers of America (RCA) in December of 2021 as a Clinical Supervisor and promoted to his current position as Clinical Director in April 2022. Prior to joining RCA, he worked at New Vista Outpatient Recovery Center (Opioid Treatment Center) as Program (2021), Program Manager of an Inpatient Detox Unit at an Acute Behavioral Health Hospital (Valle Vista) (2020-2021).

Darius has worked in the Addictions field for approximately eleven years in several different capacities including the Forensic Treatment Services Clinical Director of the Recovery Works Program for the State of Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA), Addictions Therapist at Edgewater Health (Gary, IN), Addictions Specialist at Regional Mental Health Center (East Chicago, IN). He also has 14 years’ experience in law enforcement as a Gary and Cincinnati Police Officer.

Jennifer Sharaba is the S HRBP at Indianapolis. Jennifer holds both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Concordia University, St. Paul where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Jennifer has been an HR practitioner for 11 years and has worked mostly in the healthcare industry. Jennifer is a Certified Agile Professional (CAP), has her Six Sigma Black Belt (SSBB) certification, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) certification as well  being a certified practitioner and advocate of Veterans at Work (VAW) from The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).

Jennifer is a People Enthusiast, Platinum Rule Evangelist and a Director of Positivity. She is passionate about driving company culture and HR initiatives to help drive the success of a business. She gets great satisfaction working in an environment where she can be a part of the magic and effort to boost morale and drive strategic change, including organizational development and employee engagement.

She loves working at RCA because the mission, value and organizational goals align to what she holds dear to her heart. She believes in contributing her background and her education to the success of the organizational goals and looks forward to a long career here.

Interventionist Desmond Kane MA, CADC joins the RCA Interventionist team with over 10 years of behavioral health experience. Desmond has held many roles that have contributed to his understanding and compassion for the disease of addiction, including outpatient counselor, clinical supervisor, residential counselor, program supervisor, and clinical outreach coordinator. He looks forward to bringing this experience to RCA, where he’ll dedicate his time to healing families and helping loved ones cope with the disease of addiction.

“The family dynamic is the foundation that creates support and construct for emotional growth, as well as the cohesive bond that helps deal with both good and difficult times,” says Desmond. “As an interventionist, I am able to navigate these topics and needs by showing the family dignity and respect, which usually addiction has been stealing from their family for way too long. Helping the family heal and grow with that same dignity and respect throughout the process is the goal.”

Kristin Gerber joined RCA Indianapolis in November of 2020 as the Administrative Assistant for inpatient treatment. She graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society and comes to RCA with extensive administrative and procurement experience. She supports the leadership team at RCA Indianapolis to ensure they have everything they need to most effectively treat patients and provide the 5 star level of care that RCA is known for. She is passionate about helping others and is proud to be a part of an organization that affords individuals the opportunity for addiction recovery.

Amanda Hildebrandt, BS, CADAC II joined RCA in November of 2020. Amanda received her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Indiana University and used that to develop her career in child and family services. After seeing the impact that substance use disorders had on family systems she transitioned into the correctional setting as a substance abuse counselor for the Indiana Women’s Prison. There she moved from counselor to director and ran the Recovery While Incarcerated program for all of the female offenders that suffered from substance use disorders including the pregnant and parenting mothers.

Amanda believes in the biopsychosocial approach to treatment. She is currently obtaining her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is part of the Corporate Training Team and brings an educated and passionate element to training all of the new employees at RCA Indianapolis. She works alongside the other leadership and specialty areas in the building to make sure all staff are supported in their specific training needs so the patients have 5-star treatment in every realm of services while at RCA. Amanda was born and raised in Indiana and is proud to be part of the mission to bring quality substance abuse treatment to those in her home state.

Mark West brings over 25 years of hands-on experience in information technology supporting General Motors, Allison Transmission, and CHA Consulting Inc.

William Cooke, MD, FAAFP, FASAM, AAHIVS, is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Medicine and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, specializing in family medicine, addiction medicine, and HIV medicine. His work has been covered by CBS, NBC, PBS, the BBC, USA Today, the New York Times, NPR, and others. In 2019, he was named National Physician of the Year by the American Academy of Family Physicians and joined the ranks of two US surgeons general and a former secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services by receiving the Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award. He was also the first physician in the nation to be awarded the Pillar of Excellence by Addiction Policy Forum.