Treatment centers continue to provide addiction services amid pandemic
Contractors at Greene Treatment Center construct a separate room for patients who may have had contact with someone showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Greene Treatment Center has put X’s on the floor to make sure people are standing six feet apart.
Greene Treatment Center is one of my many addiction treatment facilities that has adjusted its operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A time of social distancing and isolation has brought about difficult circumstances for those who struggle with substance abuse, but treatment facilities continue to provide resources for those in need.
“This is a very scary time for anyone in early recovery or anyone in active recovery. We fully expect to see people who have been functioning alcoholics come to treatment. Isolation is a huge trigger,” said Travis Watson, program director at both Greene Treatment Center in Carmichaels and Angels Light Addiction Specialists in Uniontown.
Though their policies and procedures have changed to protect patients and staff from COVID-19, the facilities are still in operation.
Greene Treatment Center is an outpatient clinic that offers patients methadone treatment while Angels Light offers residential services.
At Greene Treatment Center, X’s are taped on the floor six feet apart indicating where patients must stand while they wait to see a counselor.
“Whenever clients show up we take their temperature and ask if they have any symptoms of the coronavirus, and if they have had contact with someone who has,” Watson said.
If the answer yes to any of those questions, they are instructed to enter a separate room to take their daily medication.
Angels Light continues to admit patients. Watson said any patient who may have had contact with someone with the coronavirus is quarantined for four or five days. If they don’t show symptoms, they are brought into regular treatment.
“If they do, we quarantine them in their room here,” Watson said.
Those patients are given a laptop, and are able to video call into group sessions.
Greenbriar Treatment Center, which has an inpatient location in Washington and an outpatient facility in North Strabane, will not admit any symptomatic patients.
Everyone is asked if they have been in an area with known clusters of the coronavirus or has been in contact with anyone who has been.
“If they answer yes to any of those, we tell them they need to be symptom-free and that they are not ill before they come in. If someone does come in and they have a fever, we send them away. We are not going to put our current patients at risk,” said Holly Martin, the CEO of Greenbriar.
Martin said they are also doing all assessments for potential treatment over the phone, eliminating the amount of face-to-face time patients have with staff, and quarantining anyone who comes in for residential treatment.
“What we have done now is we have made the detox unit more of an intake unit. We keep them there for a period of at least seven days. That’s everybody, any level of care,” Martin said.
For Greenbriar’s inpatient programs, patients are separated into smaller groups and then join together via video conferencing.
According to Martin, they have also implemented telehealth for their outpatient centers.
The Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission (WDAC) is also planning to implement telehealth, according to Executive Director Cheryl Andrews, though they are currently conducting all business over the phone.
“Our staff are all working remotely, and people can still call our office if they are in need of help. We are able to do intakes and assessments over the phone and refer people to treatment,” Andrews said. “From our end, nothing really has changed other than we are moving to different modes of communicating with patients.”
She added that WDAC hopes to have “true telehealth communication,” with video conferencing, available to patients next week.
Both Watson and Martin acknowledged that there has been confusion over whether they are continuing to operate, but they hope that confusion does not dissuade people from seeking help.
Martin said those struggling with substance abuse or maintaining their sobriety should try to remain in touch with friends and family through social media.
“When people have to isolate in their homes, that doesn’t mean that you have to be alone,” Martin said. “Now is the time to do the opposite, if you can.”