Dr. Davida Coady—Physician, Activist, & Founder of Options Recovery Service
For 20 years, Dr. Coady was first on the ground for global humanitarian crises: Biafra, Bangladesh, Peru, and Honduras. Back home, she built the Venice Family Clinic into the largest free clinic in America, helped Cesar Chavez establish a new health system for farm workers, marched alongside Dan Berrigan, Pete Seeger, and Martin Sheen, was arrested 50 times, created the first drug court in the Bay Area, and built a drug treatment program that houses and treats thousands of clients every year. Deeply human, flawed, and glorious, Davida relates an inspirational life richly and well-lived, driven by the motto: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number of People.
April 15, 1938 – May 3, 2018
The Options family—board, staff, supporters, clients, and the thousands of graduates over the past 21 years from the streets of Berkeley and Oakland and across the state prison system—mourns the passing of our founder and guiding light, Dr. Davida Coady. May 3, 2018.
We find comfort in the words of one graduate: “Dr. Coady never gave up on people, even after they gave up on themselves.”
Our grief only spurs our resolve to continue Davida’s vision of reaching out to the poor and imprisoned in finding the path to life-affirming sobriety and service. Her husband, Options Executive Director Tom Gorham, said it best: “Options is here to stay. The work to serve the unserved will go on.”
Dr. Coady Delivered “The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number of People”
Davida Coady, MD, founder of Options Recovery Services and lifelong advocate for addiction treatment and recovery, tells her inspiring story in a new paperback available for purchase online from Hesperian Health Guides. In her final months, Davida finished her memoir The Greatest Good detailing her wide-ranging life in the service of health, justice and achieving “the greatest good for the greatest number of people.”
Our Founder’s Story is Our History
Learn more about Options Recovery Services’ history and how our founder has left her mark on our graduates and the Bay Area.
You Can Help Continue Dr. Coady’s Legacy
Every time an underserved member of the Bay Area is served by Options Recovery Services, our founder’s vision is further fulfilled.
You can be part of the effort by donating time, items, or funds to support this effort.