2018 Branches of Hope Award presented to doctor

The LCADA Way presented their 2018 Branches of Hope Award to Dr. Rebecca Starck, president of the Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital, as part of their Key Awards Brunch on March 24.

The event made its return to DeLuca’s Place in the Park, 6075 Middle Ridge Road in Lorain, after a few years’ absence, according to President Thomas D. Steuber.

He said besides the last two years, the event

has been held every year since The Key Women’s Center, 1882 East 32nd St. in Lorain, was started in 1988.

“The Key is our women’s residential, for women’s treatment department,” Stuber explained. “It was originally identified as The Key, which was a small house in Lorain where we housed eight women in the beginning. We’ve grown to our current facility which now houses 16 women with their children.”

He said LCADA Way was the first agency in the state that allowed women to bring their pre-school age children into treatment with them.

In addition to the residential services, Stuber said the facility also has 48 women in day treatment and another 36 women through their intensive outpatient program.

“We have well over 100

women receiving services at The Key on a daily basis,” he said. “We’ve done everything we can to make sure that they receive comprehensive care and we remove all barriers for them to be able to come in.”

Stuber said soon the facility will be able to help even more women with the expansion they are beginning.

“The state has lifted the 16 bed Medicaid rule,” he said referring to a law that capped the number of beds at a residential center. “So, we’re going to be moving from 16 beds to 30 beds with 28 for residential treatment and two emergency beds for women that need it.”

According to Stuber, Starck has engaged with the LCADA Way since she took over operations of the Avon hospital.

“She has mobilized community resources towards this opiate epidemic, both within the city of Avon and their task force as well as working with us,” he said. “She’s the only president of any of the hospitals that has visited The

Key, taken both clients and staff out to present to their doctors so they will be educated on the impact of the opiate epidemic.

Upon receiving the award, Starck thanked the assembled.

“I am humbled by this and whatever small bit I can do to help raise awareness and eliminate stigma around substance disorders pales in comparison to all the hard work you’re doing in taking care of these individuals,” she said. “It’s remarkable.”

Lisa Stevens, director of women’s services for LCADA WAY, said it is important to highlight the work Starck has done and continues to do because of the impact it will have on the future.

“These are pregnant women that are addicted to opiates and (we need to) educate medical staff around the state and around the country about how to approach this and how to tackle it and how to get these women linked to treatment as soon as possible in order to deliver healthy babies,” she said.