Alfonso Acampora, 61; Headed Program for Addiction Treatment
Alfonso Acampora, 61, the president and chief executive of Walden House, one of California’s leading addiction treatment programs, was found dead Sunday in Berkeley. Police said the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Raised in the South Bronx in New York City, Acampora was a teenage gang member who overcame his own heroin addiction before moving to California.
He joined Walden House in 1971 and worked his way to the top, where he administered its $54-million annual budget and 550 full-time employees.
Walden House now has more than a dozen sites throughout the state where it offers programs to end drug dependency.
In recent months, Walden House has been criticized by the San Francisco Health Commission for failing to make timely financial reports. Much of the program’s money for grants and contracts comes from the Health Commission.
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