An addiction treatment center located in Rehrersburg has recently launched a new drug detox program to help women with substance use disorders.
The new drug detox program is brought by the Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge, a nonprofit that was established in Rehrersburg, Berks County, in 1962.
Since its foundation, the faith-based nonprofit has opened approximately 960 international treatment centers and over 200 facilities in the country. Nine of those U.S. facilities offer inpatient addiction treatment programs to both women and men.
In addition to increasing its program capacity to serve women, the Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge is aiming to have a greater ability to help patients manage their withdrawal symptoms.
The new women’s drug detox program features board-certified medical staff members who are extensively trained to monitor and manage every element of the withdrawal process that each person in treatment may experience.
Representatives of the addiction treatment center explained that its withdrawal management program uses techniques based on the most innovative medical research and therapeutic methods.
The Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge offers a number of other programs for people with substance use disorders as well as specialized services for short-term rehabilitation, outpatient treatment program, and long-term residential.
The addiction treatment center has recently acquired an accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities for its opioid use disorder treatment program. The accreditation, which is effective for the next three years, is another step toward increasing the available treatment options in the area.
The representatives of the center also emphasized that the new drug detox program for women comes as an initiative that strives to combat the opioid epidemic on a local level.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, 5,456 people died due to drug overdoses in the state during the past year.
According to the Pennsylvania Opioid Data Dashboard, a total of 24 opioid overdoses were successfully reverted with naloxone in Berks County during 2016. By 2017, that number had increased exponentially and naloxone saved approximately 70 people in the region.
Last year, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf vowed to be committed to making every possible effort to fight the opioid epidemic and address the needs of the people who have been affected by the crisis in the state.
Then in January, Gov. Wolf officially avowed, through a statewide disaster declaration, that the opioid epidemic is public health emergency.
The president of the Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge highlighted that the organization launched the new program to address the needs of the area and, so far, members of the community have responded overwhelmingly positively.
Representatives of the organization added that local churches have also been showing support to the initiatives implemented by the center and its efforts to expand the capacity of addiction treatment services for local women.
The Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge admits new patients 24/7 and accepts a number of different insurance plans. Financial assistance is offered to those who do not have the ability to cover the costs of treatment.
The women’s drug detox program can currently accommodate eight patients but there are plans to expand its capacity in the near future.
Author: Livia Areas-Holmblad
Livia Holmblad is an editor at Addiction Now and covers breaking news, features and everything in between. She moved to SoCal after living in NYC for about 10 years, where she worked for VICE and SinoVision as a writer, editor, host, producer, and director. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. Contact Livia at liviah@addictionnow.com
