Our Story
MKL Rehab was born in 2016 when a group of Oakland-based behavioral health practitioners saw a critical gap: too many East Bay residents lacked access to high-quality addiction treatment close to home. What started as a modest 14-bed program on the Mountain Blvd corridor was built on a simple promise — that effective recovery care should be available to everyone, regardless of background or circumstance.
Over ten years, that founding commitment to equity has driven purposeful expansion. Our campus now houses 38 beds, our team has grown to 78 professionals, and we have walked alongside more than 5,200 individuals on their recovery journeys. We introduced specialized programming for BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and families navigating intergenerational trauma — each track reflecting the voices and needs of Alameda County.
Under Executive Director Dr. Diane Foster, MKL Rehab remains rooted in the conviction that community accountability and clinical rigor are inseparable. Her emphasis on dismantling barriers to treatment has positioned the facility as a model for equity-centered care across the East Bay.
Our Mission
MKL Rehab is dedicated to providing accessible, equity-driven addiction treatment that addresses the structural and personal dimensions of substance use disorder. We honor each person's cultural identity, design individualized care pathways, and equip our patients with the resilience and practical tools they need for enduring sobriety.
Rooted deeply in Oakland and connected to the wider East Bay, we recognize that recovery is not a solitary act. It unfolds within relationships — with skilled clinicians, with fellow travelers, and within a facility that reflects and respects the community it serves.
Treatment Philosophy
At MKL Rehab, we approach addiction as a complex health condition shaped by biology, environment, and systemic inequity — never as a moral failure. Our clinical framework is anchored by three core commitments:
Evidence-Based, Equity-Informed Care
We integrate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, motivational enhancement, and medication-assisted treatment into every care plan. Each intervention is evaluated not only for clinical efficacy but also for cultural relevance and accessibility across the diverse populations of Oakland and Alameda County.
Holistic Restoration
Healing extends beyond symptom management. Our programming weaves together nutritional guidance, movement-based therapies, mindfulness training, and creative expression alongside clinical work — nourishing mind, body, and spirit so that recovery becomes a way of living, not merely a phase of treatment.
Individualized Recovery Blueprints
Every person who enters our doors carries a distinct history. Our clinicians conduct thorough biopsychosocial and cultural assessments to develop care blueprints that reflect each individual's strengths, lived experiences, and personal goals for the future.
Our Team
Dr. Diane Foster, PhD, LPC-S
Executive Director
Dr. Foster has dedicated 18 years to behavioral health leadership with a particular focus on eliminating disparities in addiction care. She earned her doctorate in counseling psychology from Howard University and spent a decade building culturally responsive treatment programs at facilities across the Bay Area before establishing the clinical vision that drives MKL Rehab. Her peer-reviewed work on equity in substance use treatment has been cited by state policy committees, and her day-to-day presence on campus ensures that every operational choice centers the patient experience.
Dr. Kwame Mensah, MD, FASAM
Medical Director
A board-certified addiction medicine specialist and Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Dr. Mensah directs all medical operations at MKL Rehab. He completed his residency at Highland Hospital in Oakland and brings deep expertise in opioid use disorder, medically complex withdrawal management, and co-occurring metabolic conditions. His detoxification protocols prioritize patient comfort and safety, and his advocacy for harm-reduction strategies has influenced treatment standards throughout Alameda County.
Susan Yamamoto, LCSW, CADC
Clinical Director
Susan Yamamoto carries 14 years of direct clinical practice into her leadership of therapeutic programming at MKL Rehab. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, she architected the facility's trauma-responsive group model and its family reconciliation pathway. Patients and staff consistently describe her as both deeply empathetic and unwaveringly honest — qualities that cultivate a treatment environment where authentic self-reflection and genuine growth become possible.
What Our Alumni Say
"As a working mother in East Oakland, I needed a program that would meet me where I was. The intensive outpatient track at MKL Rehab let me keep my job and stay close to my children while getting genuinely transformative help. Susan Yamamoto challenged me to face generational patterns I had always avoided. I passed my one-year sobriety mark last month."
"I spent years self-medicating depression with alcohol before the dual diagnosis program at MKL connected the pieces. For the first time, my mental health and my substance use were treated together instead of separately. The psychiatric team and my therapist actually talked to each other — something that had never happened at previous facilities. That coordination saved my life."
"The residential program gave me structure I desperately needed. Every day had purpose — individual therapy in the morning, skills groups after lunch, wellness activities in the evening. The Mountain Blvd campus felt safe and grounding. I left MKL Rehab with a relapse prevention plan, a sober support network, and confidence I had not felt in years."