Written by Samantha Carter
Founder and CEO of All Points North (APN), Noah Nordheimer, and co-founder and CEO of Accountable, Matthew Serel, team up to improve outcomes for individuals grappling with substance abuse. Both having been there, done that, and feeling like there were aspects of the mental health and substance abuse system that failed them, they decided to look to fill the gaps of contemporary treatment models elsewhere.
The lack of services to support them in their personal recoveries sparked both Noah and Matthew to envision and found two separate substance use disorder treatment companies that focus on doing what works. Now, Matthew and Noah are opening up about their personal stories and how they plan to work together to improve substance abuse recovery for others. Find out more about this exciting partnership below.
More About All Points North
All Points North (APN) is a mind-body health provider specializing in integrated mental health, trauma, and substance recovery services. Committed to a comprehensive approach to healthcare, APN focuses on whole-person wellness through both traditional and alternative treatment methods. With a state-of-the-art facility located in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, APN combines luxury accommodations with evidence-based treatments to create a supportive and healing environment for its clients.
APN provides cutting-edge therapeutics through a diverse array of offerings, such as psychotherapy, deep TMS, psychiatry and medication management, equine therapy, ketamine treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, yoga and mindfulness, experiential therapy, and more. Any combination of these services can be integrated and combined with residential treatment programs that are designed to address mental illness, trauma, and substance abuse issues. Additionally, APN provides targeted tracks for individuals identifying as Veterans, the LGBTQIA+ community, athletes, and professionals.
Additionally, APN emphasizes overall wellness with services such as fitness training, nutrition counseling, and spa treatments. Their comprehensive approach ensures that clients not only address immediate mental health or addiction concerns, but also work towards sustainable long-term health and well-being. This commitment to a multifaceted treatment philosophy sets APN apart as a leader in the fields of integrated healthcare and wellness.
More About Accountable
Accountable is a peer support and monitoring platform designed to aid individuals in maintaining long-term recovery from substance use disorders. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services aimed at preventing relapse and fostering sustainable recovery. Founded by Matthew Serel and AJ Diaz, who both have personal experiences with recovery, Accountable fills a crucial gap by providing ongoing support beyond traditional treatment programs.
Accountable’s offerings include online peer coaching, drug and alcohol monitoring, and integration with clients’ support networks, such as clinicians, family, and friends. The platform allows members to engage in regular video chats and text-based recovery coaching with their designated recovery specialists. Additionally, it offers random remote toxicology screenings to ensure accountability. Members also have lifetime access to online recovery meetings and communities, enhancing their support network and recovery journey.
Moreover, Accountable extends its services to treatment programs (like APN) and providers through a co-branded initiative that enhances aftercare programs by increasing alumni engagement, supporting clinical data collection, and facilitating coordinated care. This approach ensures continuous support and transparency for individuals in recovery, helping them stay connected and motivated throughout their wellness journey.
Noah’s Recovery Story
Noah, founder and CEO of All Points North, experienced trauma growing up that affected him in profound ways. When Noah suffered multiple injuries as an athlete in his 20s, he was finally forced to face the significance of his pain after six years of active addiction. While still “functioning,” Noah was no longer healthy or capable of managing his life. After becoming a father, Noah finally decided to seek support.
However, Noah was met with some pretty underwhelming treatment options at first. For him, a one-size-fits-all approach just wasn’t going to cut it. So Noah decided to support himself in the ways in which the system failed him.
“While I eventually worked through my addiction, I knew I wasn’t alone in my need for more – the current offerings weren’t enough, and there had to be different options for different people,” said Noah, CEO and founder of All Points North.
At first, Noah looked to investing in an addiction treatment facility. However, when he realized that they (and many other treatment facilities) weren’t tracking their outcomes or offering holistic recovery options, he opted to fill the gap himself. Through that, he created Concerted Care Group (CCG), an in-network addiction treatment provider with a whole-person approach in Maryland. Following CCG’s success and a well-established long-term recovery rate for their clients, Noah began thinking even bigger. With a vision for changing behavioral healthcare through innovative care for the mind, body, and soul – an incredible mental health, trauma, and addiction treatment company was born.
Matthew’s Recovery Story
Like Noah, Matt created something positive out of a difficult situation. He, too, experienced an injury that led to a severe substance misuse issue. From prescribed opioids to hunting for illegal drugs on the streets, Matt eventually found himself overdosing alone in a hotel room.
If it wasn’t for his now-wife who had a nagging suspicion that he wasn’t okay, Matt would most certainly be dead. After his overdose, Matt was in the ICU for about a week with double pneumonia.
“I’m really, really lucky to be alive,” said Matt, CEO and co-founder of Accountable. “I couldn’t hear for the first few days, so the doctors didn’t know if I was brain damaged … When I realized what was going on, I felt like my life was over, like there was no more rationalizing or hiding my addiction. But the reality was, it was the opposite. This was my turning point. Before, I wasn’t living. I was going to die if I continued what I was doing.”
In his recovery journey, Matt also noticed several things that weren’t working for him. For one, he felt he never had enough support post treatment. Additionally, he saw challenges with meeting his loved one’s requests of needing to know he was safe and sober through regular drug testing and monitoring. However, as the original founder of AccuPoint with a background in technology, Matt knew how to take a complex problem and solve it in a unique way.
After selling his previous company, Matt decided his next venture would need to align with his passion and purpose. With the help of his business partner, AJ Diaz, Accountable was created. With this new vision, Matt and AJ were determined to help fill the gap that was missing post-addiction treatment and create accountable systems that worked for people in meaningful ways.
An Agnostic Approach to Substance Abuse Treatment
Something that both Noah and Matt struggled with on their recovery journeys was the spiritual aspect of the 12-step programs. Traditional 12-step programs require participants to acknowledge and believe in a higher power. However, what if that just doesn’t resonate with someone?
“Surrendering to a higher power felt like another obstacle to overcome, and anyone up against addiction, trauma, or mental health issues knows that we already have more than enough hurdles to navigate,” Noah said.
For Matt, the gift of illness was the only thing that allowed him to overcome this barrier at first.
“I went to treatment, and it was a 12-step treatment program. I had no idea what it was,” Matt said. “They started talking about God the first day. If I didn’t have a 102 fever and double pneumonia, I would have ran out the door. I just literally didn’t have the energy to leave, which was a gift.”
Matt and Noah both saw a need to offer an agnostic approach to recovery.
“Particularly people who are into AA or pure recovery, they immediately get value from Accountable, cause it’s just like a bolster to that,” Matt said. “But even people who think it’s just a blocker, find it really helpful. We have what I guess you would call agnostic recovery meetings.”
“12-step programs don’t work for everyone,” Noah said. “I don’t know of any other disease where you have to walk into a room and identify as your disease. That for me was a big barrier. When you bring God into it, that part of 12-step didn’t work for me. There have to be other options.”
While both Noah and Matt now celebrate the 12-step model as one valuable recovery path, they don’t believe it’s the only way. Both Noah and Matt envisioned a recovery treatment model that worked for people with different needs and beliefs, a sort of holistic and diverse approach to better meet people where they are.
Holistic Healing That Works
The reason holistic support models work is because it targets multiple aspects of a person’s being – physical, emotional, spiritual (or agnostic), and mental. When these different aspects of our being are deposited into over time, it creates layers of protection that can safeguard against the challenges that pull people back into mental health or addiction crisis. Also, by offering a wide variety of approaches to recovery, you are more likely to find resonance with an individual’s personal experience, personality, interests, etc.
While APN heavily focuses on holistic treatment during the initial phase of care (though support is still offered long beyond residential stays), Accountable is a great service to pick up to continue this type of support post-treatment.
“For Accountable, it’s like, what tactical things am I going to do to support my recovery?” Matt said. “Am I going to go to the gym three times this week? Am I go to a meeting this week?—whatever that might be. And we’re really structured in all the different aspects of recovery we offer to support people post-treatment.”
For Noah, he believes the proof is in the pudding.
“At APN, we use a program called ACORN,” said Noah. “We built it into our telehealth app. It’s self-reported data that we compare against all of the historical data stored in ACORN. That’s roughly 3 million lives that we’re comparing against. What the current data shows is that within 6-12 months we were in the 99th percentile against those 3 million lives.”
“We continue to stay in that 99th percentile years later. Customized, holistic treatment plans that include residential treatment followed by lower levels of care and continued services via telehealth is what can make a full continuum of care. And the ACORN data shows that this model is working.”
From Treatment to Step-Down Care
Part of looking at recovery through a holistic lens is making sure people are supported post-treatment. This is where services like Accountable really come into play. For Matt and his business partner, AJ, leaning into the things they wanted more of in their personal recoveries has fueled the different aspects of the Accountable services you see today.
“We really believe that our peer support model, approachable drug and alcohol testing options, integrated medical data, and facilitated measurable goals and outcomes can help meet people where they’re at,” Matt said. “Utilizing these tools, we can help provide individuals in recovery with the accountability they need.”
APN realizes Accountable for the cutting-edge tool that it is. That’s why they’re partnering up to provide their residential graduates with further long-term support.
“APN sets up a full continuum of care,” Matt continued. “And it really holds people post treatment, which a lot of places don’t do. A lot of places you’ll get a phone call a day or two before somebody discharges and they set them up, but that’s it. That’s where the gaps start. So APN having it integrated throughout adds value and safety for the people that they serve.”
In addition to referring their clients to Accountable post-treatment, the APN Virtual programs also offer continued IOP and OP services through their platform, as well as alumni programs, neurotechnology offerings, and peer support options. This continuation of care allows participants to have their data shared across APN platforms, enabling them to work long-term with providers who already know their personal stories and the treatment efforts they’ve made thus far. This continuation of care allows participants to have their data shared across APN platforms, enabling them to work long-term with providers who already know their personal stories and the treatment efforts they’ve made thus far.
More Than a Business – Supporting Sobriety Every Step of the Way
One thing’s for certain–both APN and Accountable are rooted in passion and purpose. With a commitment to successful outcomes for those grappling with substance abuse disorders, Noah and Matt know this is more than just a business; it’s a calling.
“I know this treatment can work because it’s worked for thousands of clients,” said Noah, CEO and founder of All Points North. “Our treatment outcomes rank nationwide in the top 5% of providers, and part of our success is partnering with like-minded companies like Accountable.”
Both Noah and Matt are devoted to positive outcomes, more concerned about people getting well than business bottom-lines.
“If you look at studies around recidivism, relapse, etc., it tends to be around 18 months when the risk goes way down,” said Matt, CEO and co-founder of Accountable. “So I would say what we like to see is generally somebody doing this for a year to 18 months.”
Accountable isn’t going to sell you on more just because they can. They truly believe in your well-being and want to help you thrive. That’s also why they offer scholarships to people who can’t afford their services.
In a similar vein, All Points North works with multiple insurance companies to provide accessible treatment services to more people and provides a limited number of scholarships to Veterans in need. Both Noah and Matthew got into this industry to help fill a gap and need for others who’ve undergone similar struggles. Now, they wake up every day and find meaning in what they do.
Stay in the Know: Learn More About Accountable and APN
The APN and Accountable partnership is just getting started. With an ongoing commitment to improve recovery outcomes through trackable and measurable data and holistic treatment models, these services are bound to adapt and improve overtime.
To stay in-the-know about both of these pioneering addiction and recovery companies, make sure to sign up for their free newsletters and/or reach out for further information today.
