At Community Medical Services (CMS), our mission has always been clear: to help those who are suffering from substance use disorders. Every day, we see the pain and struggles experienced by individuals and families affected by this crisis, and every day, we commit ourselves to serving others by providing compassionate, effective care that helps people find hope and healing.
But we believe our responsibility goes beyond the essential services we provide. As a company, we recognize that the way we operate, from our business practices and values to our impact on the communities we serve, matters just as much as the care we deliver. This is why, one year ago, we made the decision to become one of the only Benefits Corporation (B-Corp) opioid treatment providers in the nation.
What is a B-Corp?
A B-Corp, or Certified B Corporation, is a company that has been independently evaluated to meet high standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Unlike labels that focus on a single issue, B-Corp certification looks at how a business operates as a whole, including how decisions affect the people it serves, its employees, and the environment.
For Community Medical Services, B-Corp certification isn’t just a badge. It’s about ensuring that our commitment to our Mission, Vision and Values is reflected not just in our clinical work, but in the way we run our organization every day. For us, becoming a B-Corp wasn’t a symbolic decision, but a deliberate commitment to put patient care before financial performance and do what’s right even when it requires more time, effort, and intention.
Why Being a B-Corporation Matters
Our vision at CMS is to lead the change in eliminating the consequences of opioid use. The opioid crisis is one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time, and to lead change, we know that we have to look beyond traditional models of care and think differently about how we serve our communities.
That’s where B-Corp certification comes in. . It pushes us to be more intentional about our impact and look beyond clinical work alone. It’s a framework that helps us measure and improve the ways we support equity, sustainability, and long-term well-being. It challenges us to examine how our decisions, big and small, shape the world around us and support our mission of improving the lives of individuals and families affected by substance use disorders.
How B-Corp Certification is Put in Action at CMS
Doing the right thing is usually hard and should involve a trade-off. To that end, we’re holding ourselves accountable to the high standards we set for patient care and extending that accountability to every aspect of our organization. From ensuring fair and supportive workplace practices to reducing our environmental footprint and deepening our community partnerships, we want every part of CMS to reflect the same commitment to ethical business practices, compassion, integrity, and excellence.
Over the past year, this framework has helped guide:
- Greater alignment of our operations with our Mission, Vision, and Values
- More intentional focus on equity, access, and patient-centered care
- Stronger commitments to staff well-being and ethical leadership
- Ongoing assessment of how our policies impact the communities we serve
- Responsible growth that prioritizes people over profit
Being a B-Corp means our commitment to service doesn’t stop at the clinic door. It must show up in how we lead, how we support our teams, how we steward resources, and how we innovate for long-term community well-being.
Leading with Purpose: One of Few Treatment Providers with B-Corp Certification
CMS remains one of the only opioid treatment providers that has gone through the effort to become a certified B-Corporation. The process is rigorous, transparent, and demanding, and that is exactly why we pursued it.
In a field where stigma, misunderstanding, and regulatory complexity create significant barriers, choosing to become a B-Corp is also choosing to lead by example. It is a public declaration that:
- Our patients deserve organizations that are accountable.
- Our communities deserve partners who operate with integrity.
- Our teams deserve a workplace grounded in fairness, safety, and respect.
- Our industry deserves models of care that prove business can be compassionate and responsible.
Our Commitment to Impact
The first year of B-Corporation certification has given us time to evaluate our progress and reaffirm why this certification matters. CMS leaders believe that business can be a force for good and that companies that succeed financially do so by putting the needs of their customers first. Our B-Corp certification is a way to formalize and strengthen our commitment to positive impact, to align our business practices with our mission, and to lead by example in the healthcare space.
In the past year, we’ve strengthened our operational practices, deepened our community partnerships, and introduced new initiatives designed to support long-term recovery and reduce barriers to treatment. But more importantly, we’ve reinforced something foundational: B-Corp values and the CMS Mission are not separate goals, but mutually reinforced priorities.
Looking Ahead: Prioritizing Compassionate Treatment at CMS
As we begin our second year as a certified B-Corp, we remain committed to prioritizing patient care above financial performance, thoughtfully challenging the status quo in opioid treatment, building partnerships that strengthen communities, and leading with compassion, integrity, and purpose.
We are proud of the work behind us — but even more motivated by the work ahead. Thank you for taking part in this journey. Together, we are creating a more compassionate, equitable, and sustainable future for the individuals and families we serve.
If you or a loved one is struggling with opioid use and needs support, we’re here for you. Find a clinic near you or contact our compassionate treatment experts today to take the first step toward a long-term, sustainable recovery.
