State College, Pennsylvania Drug Rehab Centers

Nick has personally helped thousands of people along the path to sobriety since becoming a counselor in 1975. A graduate of Boston University, he received his Master of Arts from Fairleigh Dickinson University and his doctorate degree from International College. Nick has been at Clearbrook since 1990 after serving as a principal in several recovery centers and was appointed CEO in 1998. Nick’s personal approach to Clearbrook patients can be witnessed every day. You can always find Nick eating lunch with our patient community or giving a weekly lecture on his own personal experience of life in recovery. He maintains an active role in every department at Clearbrook to ensure that the facility is running as smoothly as possible. In October 2015, he was able to share the miraculous feat of 40 years in recovery.

Bridgette Vail, MA MBA is a seasoned Behavioral Health Care Professional with over 20 years of experience. With a diverse background and advanced degrees in both the Healthcare and Business Industries, Bridgette has developed and led large teams, supervised a variety of professionals and navigated complex healthcare challenges. As a former Director of Admissions and Utilization Review Bridgette recognizes the importance of care coordination and the care management process. Bridgette effectively utilizes clinical guidelines and accreditation standards to achieve admission and utilization targets. With additional experience as Director of Healthcare Management at an inpatient Substance Abuse Hospital and Executive Director at an Outpatient based Substance Abuse facility, Bridgette’s primary focus was to ensure access to proactive and balanced care, improve clinical outcomes and appropriately manage healthcare associated costs. Bridgette places a high value on professional ethics, professional development and positive patient outcomes.

Dr. Cook is an international lecturer and physician who grew up in a Pittsburgh neighborhood close to RCA at Monroeville. In his role of Medical Director for the center, he brings years of experience in Addiction Medicine, Behavioral Health, Family Practice, Emergency Medicine, and Public Health. He has practiced at multiple inpatient and outpatient addiction medicine centers throughout the United States. Additionally, he has worked as an ER/Urgent Care physician at several Western Pennsylvania Emergency Departments and Urgent Care centers. Prior to joining RCA, Dr. Cook held roles as Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer at multiple addiction organizations. Additionally, he has commercial and government health administration experience serving as Medical Director at Highmark Health and at C2C Innovative Solutions (Medicare). Dr. Cook has a special interest in the public health implications of institutional racism and its impact on the health status of African-Americans. He has lectured on Addiction Medicine in several European countries and has plans to speak at future international conferences in Central/South America, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.