The first Odyssey House, in
East Harlem, was established by Dr.
Judianne Densen-Gerber, a resident psychiatrist working at
Metropolitan Hospital in New York City who, dissatisfied with the practice of using
drug replacement medications such as
methadone as the primary therapeutic intervention, started a "drug free" programme in 1966. In 1979,
New York magazine published a detailed article by investigative journalist
Lucy Komisar alleging serious abuse and financial misconduct at Odyssey House, including that Densen-Gerber used residents as personal servants. In 1983, Densen-Gerber resigned her position as executive director after a state investigation found financial irregularities. She paid back $20,000 in excessive personal expenses in order to close a state investigation into the organization. Despite sharing a common name, all treatment centres have operated as independent entities since the 1980s. ==References==