August 3rd, 2018

Cumberland Heights Among the Few Centers Approved for Google AdWords Program and Welcomes New Screening Process for Treatment Industry

Cumberland Heights is among the first 100 treatment centers nationwide approved to participate in a new Google AdWords program designed to stop unethical marketing that had been plaguing the industry before now.

“I commend Google for recognizing that vulnerable individuals and families were being targeted and taken advantage of by several online marketers,” said Cumberland Heights CEO Jay Crosson. “The new AdWords program recognizes treatment centers like Cumberland Heights that focus on quality care, ethical marketing and helping patients recover life.”

Last fall, in an effort to protect the public from possibly unethical marketing practices, Google banned all ads containing keywords like “drug treatment” or “alcohol addiction.” Predatory marketers that did not provide any treatment services had mastered collecting online leads and selling them to the highest bidder to the detriment of legitimate treatment providers nationwide – and likely to many people who were seeking qualified help. Stopping these practices had become a top priority for industry organizations like the National Association of the Addiction Treatment Professionals (NAATP).

In Spring 2018, Google announced that it partnered with LegitScripts to screen providers that want to advertise using AdWords. To be approved under the new program, treatment providers had to complete an extensive review process focused on quality, safety and transparency.

“The process was onerous but welcome,” said Crosson, who also chairs NAATP’s Ethics Committee. “Online marketing has changed and will continue to change how we reach people who need help. What has not changed and will never change is the need to respect patients and provide them the best possible care to them and their families.”