Keith O' Hare

Keith began his healthcare career in 2006 in one of the pilot programs for peer support specialists in drug treatment centers while he was living in Arizona. At the time he had the privilege of working with some of the state’s indigent, homeless, and most underserved communities and has taken that experience of ‘meeting people where they are’ with him through his entire career. He was soon mentored by several nurses who had been working in the substance abuse field for many years who encouraged him to seek that path as a way of helping those in need. Keith continued working as a behavioral health technician while attending school and earning an associate in applied science of nursing degree from Phoenix College in 2013. His first job as a Registered Nurse was on a chemical dependency unit at a psychiatric hospital near an area of downtown Phoenix, Arizona referred to as “The Zone” that has some of the nation’s highest rates of peoples experiencing homelessness, rates of substance use and mental health needs. He was promoted to charge nurse of the unit and spent a year there before leaving to explore other areas of healthcare. Keith spent time working in a cardiac trauma unit in one of Phoenix’s trauma center hospitals. Keith then chose to return to New Jersey where he grew up and took a position in a psychiatric emergency room and crisis center. Keith joined us here at SOBA in 2020 when we opened our inpatient detoxification services.

In addition to his role as Registered Nurse, Keith has been a nonviolent crisis intervention instructor at several facilities he has worked. Keith has been involved in Buddhist meditation for over 15 years, having been a founding member of peer led meditation group the Phoenix Dharma Punx. He believes there are many paths to recovery and appreciates that everyone has the power within them to change and enjoys being able to show them through his work at SOBA.