Lasting Change, operated by The W House of Hagerstown Foundation, is a residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment provider serving women aged eighteen and older in Hagerstown, Maryland. Founded in 1988 by local community members to provide supportive sober housing for women recovering from alcoholism, the organization expanded into clinical programming by 1995 and rebranded as Lasting Change, Recovery Solutions for Women in 2016. The program is licensed by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and accredited by CARF, with its most recent reaccreditation in 2024.
Residential and Outpatient Treatment
Lasting Change takes a biopsychosocial approach that addresses the physical, emotional, social, interpersonal, and spiritual dimensions of recovery. The residential program is an individualized 90-day track, extendable when clinically necessary, that includes five weekly group sessions at the facility, seven community self-help meetings per week, and one individual counseling session per week. The outpatient program spans three to twelve months and steps clients down in phases, with Phase Two requiring four weekly outpatient groups, seven community self-help meetings, and one individual session per week. Clinical services across both levels include assessment, individual counseling, group therapy, education, life skills development, and family involvement when requested by the client. Clinical staff are available Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with emergency coverage after hours.
Community Partnerships and Additional Services
Lasting Change partners with external organizations to supplement its clinical programming with workforce development through Leadx3, financial literacy training, women’s empowerment programs, food safety education, and music therapy through The Sonatina Center. The program accepts Medicaid, client fees, grants, and private donations, and serves clients without regard to race, color, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, or economic status.
