Help available locally to treat opioid addiction

“When did the opioid crisis pop up?” We hear this often. This epidemic begins with seeking relief from a physical and/ or emotional pain that won’t go away. Prescription drugs, heroin, fentanyl, etc. can take away the pain momentarily, only to bring greater suffering with addiction, damaged relationships, overdose and death. Thank you for the comprehensive article focused on raising awareness around the opioid crisis and the work being done to address this individual, family, community and national level epidemic. I’d like to highlight the local collaboration working to respond to this issue right here in Pottstown.

“In October of 2017, Commissioner Arkoosh stated that the county had five fewer overdose deaths in the first half of 2017, compared to the same period of 2016, bucking the trend seen in across southeastern Pennsylvania.” — Jim Melwert, KYW Newsradio 1060, 10/17/17.

This may seem small, but it’s a change in the right direction — a downward trend. Contributing to this positive trajectory, Creative Health Services, Community Health and Dental Care, Pottstown Hospital/Tower Health and the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation have collaborated over the last four years to form the Tri-County Health Council (TCHC) to improve the health and health care, including the treatment of behavioral health and substance use disorders, of Tri-County Area residents through collaboration, enhanced provider communication and innovative patient engagement. One of our current and foundational projects is improving outcomes related to the opiate crisis.

The collaboration of partnering agencies in Montgomery County around our existing “Warm Handoff” or Opioid Overdose Survivor Engagement Team work is a prime example. Our relationship with the Pottstown Police Department, nurtured by our dedicated police liaison, allows us to quickly engage overdose survivors who have been provided naloxone by first responders to enter treatment while providing education and help to their families.

Further, Creative Health is a founding member of the Pottstown Trauma Informed Care Connection (PTICC), an organization that is well on its way to having Pottstown designated as a “Trauma Informed Community” (see www.pottstownmatters. org for more information). We work to raise awareness through information about things like Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Also known as abuse, neglect and household dysfunction, ACEs are directly related to depression, anxiety and other behavioral health issues including addiction, as well as poor physical outcomes when they are left unresolved.

We work to change lives — and our community — by meeting people where they are.

Over the last 60 years, Creative Health’s Drug and Alcohol Outpatient Service program has responsively expanded to support the needs of our surrounding community as the trend of substance use has increased with the opioid epidemic.

We are a phone call away. Reach out for help. Contact us at 484-9410500 or www.creativehs. org.