The publication is reproduced in full below:
DRUG TREATMENT PIONEER MIKE WATANABE RETIRES
______
HON. KAREN BASS
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, as he retires I rise to commemorate the career of a pioneer and advocate in drug treatment, Michael N. Watanabe. Mike and I became friends during the time that the crack cocaine epidemic devastated neighborhoods across Los Angeles, but his dedication to serving those struggling with addiction goes back much further.
Even as a high schooler in the 1960s, Mike had seen friends and neighbors of all races suffer and even die from drug overdoses. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1969, where he served as a Huey helicopter Crew Chief in Vietnam. His experiences there gave him further insight into the role that substances like drugs and alcohol play in people's lives. He emerged from his transition back to civilian life with a determination to help people. That led him to pursue a degree in social work at UCLA, earning a scholarship through the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
In 1975 he joined the staff of the Asian American Drug Abuse Program
(AADAP). With offices in the heart of the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles, AADAP had been founded to assist Asians, Pacific Islanders and other underserved communities. Mike quickly saw opportunities to extend services, and to treat the whole person. He has dedicated 46 years of his life to AADAP, 39 of those years as the head of the organization.
During his tenure, AADAP grew from a small grassroots organization with 20 staff to a large, comprehensive service agency with over 120 professional staff serving a significant portion of Los Angeles County through ten service sites. AADAP boasts an impressive track record, serving all races and cultures, and offering residential and outpatient treatment, family support, job training, and a wide spectrum of programs providing prevention, intervention, and diversion services for substance use disorders.
In his nearly half-century of service, Mike has also leant his expertise to numerous national, state and local organizations and commissions. He has given workshops, seminars, testimony, and consultations to anyone who could benefit from his experience and vision for change. He has received innumerable awards and recognitions for his work as an educator, clinician and leader, including an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD) degree from his undergraduate alma mater, California State University Northridge.
Countless lives have changed for the better due to Mike's work. Now, as he hands over the reins of this vital organization, I wish him and his family the very best, and I look forward to the next chapter of his life.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 171
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