Mid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Services ATP understands that substance abuse disorders are, first and foremost, a disease.

“We are a tight-knit family, and we have special people working here. Our team is very committed, and to me, the passion and dedication is what stands out at MARS,” Fountain Hill facility director Paige Lilly-Ivens said.

With 60 employees, MARS-ATP is a for-profit counseling business owned by the nonprofit Szucs Foundation, which supports a number of charities dedicated to issues such as social justice, animal welfare and the environment.

With headquarters in Fountain Hill and a second location in Salisbury Township, MARS-ATP offers outpatient treatment for individuals suffering from substance-use disorder and dependency. They offer a wide range of services in English and Spanish, including student assistance, hospital-based assessments, a women’s group, an adolescent program and a gambling program.

“We have been known throughout our history as being an organization that is really individualized and that we wrap around our clients in terms of their needs,” said Betsy Martellucci, chief operating officer and clinical director. “We really look at both treatment planning and implementation as a highly individualized act as opposed to a cookie-cutter way. We’re curricula-informed rather than curricula-driven.”

Martellucci said providing a supportive work environment for employees is just as important. She said the work culture is synergistic, team-oriented and cohesive. And that’s just one of the reasons MARS-ATP was named to The Morning Call’s Top Workplaces survey this year for the first time, placing 16th among small companies with 124 or fewer employees.

“Our work culture is collaborative and committed,” she said. “We come together for our clients. We work as a team effectively together and we provide group events for collaboration and consultation. We have a team that is truly dedicated to the best interests of the clients that we serve, and they show that commitment through not only the services that they provide but how they’re willing to collaborate and connect with resources both inside and outside our agency.”

MARS-ATP Clinical Site Supervisor Wanda Chaparro seconded the great work culture. She said her favorite part about the organization is how the team comes together to try to help as many people as possible. She said it’s always gratifying to see a client live their best life.

“Everybody that comes here has different needs and they come from different places and different backgrounds,” she said. “The fact that we treat them as human beings and it’s not a one-size-fits-all and we meet them where they and tailor to their needs. We cater to the needs of the individuals.”

Martellucci said she’s proud of what the team has accomplished in her 10 years with the company. She said some of her most heartwarming memories have been when patients had to face challenging financial or logistical obstacles to receiving treatment, and the entire MARS team — including departments such as billing, intake and case management — worked together to find a way forward for the client.

“We really work pretty diligently to make sure that our clients remain engaged and have services available to them,” she said. “We’ve created a telehealth option so that clients can reach out when necessary. We have a really outstanding billing staff and financial department that regularly makes payment plans and is able to look into alternative funding sources for clients. We provide a family program that is parallel to our outpatient services to provide family members with education and resources and treatment themselves, so we really surround the client with a great deal of support.”

Lilly-Ivens, who started as intern and now has “the coolest job in the world,” said the organization could be summed up as “transformative.” She said MARS-ATP has the best clients and has the most caring, compassionate and supportive team of professionals.

“I love my job,” Lilly-Ivens said. “MARS has a super-strong purpose … that is something that just really connects to the work we do. We have a strong mission and a lot of opportunities for growth. We do a good job of recognizing and appreciating our people and we are very collaborative. We ask opinions of everyone and take into consideration opinions of all staff. We have a lot of autonomy.”

Sunni Battin is a freelance writer.

Mid Atlantic Rehabilitation Services ATP

Founded: 2007

Ownership: Private

Sector: Consulting

Lehigh Valley employees: 60

Website: marsatp.com