Transforming Lives: The Founding Vision of RBI Wellness Center in Loudon, TN

RBI Wellness Center was founded in June 2016 by Kelley Dean, who was working in pharmaceutical sales at the time and frequently visited MAT clinics. During her visits, Kelley was disturbed by the lack of compassion shown to the addicted population. When her medication line was phased out, Kelley decided to take the initiative to start her own clinic and address the issues she had witnessed in the industry.

The founding vision of RBI Wellness Center was to create a place of nonjudgmental compassion where individuals struggling with addiction could receive treatment. A key aspect of this vision was establishing a true culture of care, where the staff consistently demonstrates empathy toward all patients. Kelley carefully selected candidates for the clinic based on their positive personalities and genuine compassion.

To provide office-based opiate treatment for patients with addiction to opiates, promote overall recovery and/or maintenance from opiate addiction, offer comprehensive treatments that fit the patient’s unique needs to ensure the most appropriate care, and promote community health through education for patients’ families, other providers, pharmacists, and caregivers.

RBI Wellness Center subscribes to the World Health Organization of the definition of health. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” We believe that all individuals have the right to the highest level of attainable health possible. We believe individuals with opiate addiction have the right to be treated with dignity and respect in order to regain an optimal state of health and well-being. Our philosophy centers on providing individuals with addiction a safe, stigma-free environment that will promote addiction recovery. Recognizing the need for addiction recovery, we work with other agencies, pharmacists, physicians, and community resources to allow the patient to obtain all the necessary support to be successful in the addiction recovery program. We believe the success of a program starts with the patient. By providing the patient with proper education, available resources, and ongoing coordination of care, we will be able to give the patient the best chance possible for a successful recovery from addiction.

We provide a simplified telehealth experience with our providers. While group sessions are beneficial for recovery, RBI Wellness Center believes they are not personalized to the patient’s unique needs. Therefore, we offer one-on-one counseling sessions for all patients to provide tailored treatment that better promotes successful recovery.

We always greet our patients with a smile and demonstrate the utmost respect for all patients. This industry does not always treat patients with dignity. We approach all patients with a patient-first mentality. They are not addicted patients; they are people who happen to have an addiction that needs treatment.

Our staff begins each day with thorough chart reviews to prepare for the day ahead. We consistently coordinate between counselors, physicians, and case managers to address the needs identified that day. The team is flexible and understands that adaptability is key to meeting patients where they are. Every day at the RBI Wellness Center presents its own unique challenges, making each day an adventure in its own right.

RBI Wellness Center always puts the patient first. Our team is available even after hours, and we don’t use a third-party answering service. Instead, our own staff, who are familiar with the patients, handle after-hours calls and can assist with any issues that may arise.

The biggest success at RBI Wellness Center is the culture that we have established. This culture has enabled us to keep the same staff with virtually no turnover. Our physicians, counselors, and even the front office staff have been with RBI Wellness Center for years. This consistency promotes a successful recovery and improved comfort for the patient, knowing who they are dealing with on each visit. 

Compassionate, Friendly, Supportive

We speak to them as individuals and not as if we are above them while they are in our clinic.  We try to laugh with them and make them smile while in the office to make a lasting impression on them. Patients see other patients’ comfort with the staff, and this increases the ability to promote patient comfort. The atmosphere is conducive to comfort.

Our entire team has been impacted by addiction in some capacity. Kelley and Tommy Dean, the owners, are both children of addicts and have dealt with addiction throughout their entire childhood. Both have lost childhood friends as well as family members to overdose. Most of our staff have similar stories that have driven their desire to help this population.

Being the child of an addict who has fully recovered was what catapulted our desire to enable people to see that generational changes can start with them, as our parents broke the generational curse and allowed us to be on the other side of addiction, in which we are assisting people in their journey to recovery.

RBI Wellness Center has sponsored many of the local high school sports teams and provided education at local Schools and Prevention Coalition events.

These events allow us to feel the pulse of our community outside the clinic to understand the needs of the community we serve, as they all have similar diagnoses, and the obstacles are significantly different.

Dr. James Leach, MD, was inspired to pursue medicine by his own experiences in doctors’ offices, where he often found that many practitioners lacked the time to truly listen to patients, much less provide effective care. He entered the field with the goal of making a meaningful difference in the patient experience. What motivates him daily is his belief that he is called to this field by his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He feels that it is through God’s calling and anointing that Dr. Leach and his team are able to help so many people in need.

• Dr. James Leach earned both his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees from the University of Tennessee.

• His strong academic foundation at this respected institution helped shape his comprehensive approach to patient care.