Maintaining family units is crucial during drug treatment

As executive director of Sojourner House — a faithbased residential rehabilitation facility for addicted mothers and their children — I fully support the county’s desire to keep families together during parents’ recovery process, as mentioned in Monday’s Post-Gazette (Nov. 20, “County Seeks Solutions for Parents Stuck on Opioids”).

The 2011 National Drug Control Strategy acknowledged the importance of parent(s) not having to choose between seeking treatment and caring for their children. Based in East Liberty for its entire 26-year existence, Sojourner House is the only facility of its kind in this region. Since 1991, nearly 1,300 families have passed through our doors, to live in our 14 single-family apartments. Furthermore, during the last two fiscal years alone, 22 children were legally reunified with their mothers while the mothers were receiving treatment. (About one-third of the mothers do not have their children at the time of admission to the program).

Treatment at Sojourner House offers a “family-centered” approach. This treatment helps not only the woman dealing with adverse outcomes of drug use but also her family and their needs. Maintaining the family unit in a stable, nurturing environment is critical to the health and wellness of each family member. JOANN CYGANOVICH Executive Director Sojourner House

East Liberty