Along Ohio’s “Heroin Highway,” CleanSlate Opens New Medication-Assisted Treatment Center in Springfield
Feb 28, 2019
A recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that Ohio suffered the second-highest number of opioid-involved deaths per capita in 2017.
Springfield, located approximately midway between Dayton and Columbus, saw its overdose death rate double between 2014 and 2017, partially due to the increased prevalence of synthetic drugs like fentanyl. It now ranks third among Ohio counties in overdose death rate.
Despite seeing an increase in the number of addiction treatment providers in Ohio, many organizations leading the State’s efforts to address the opioid epidemic in Ohio, including the State Attorney General?s Office and multiple health systems, agree that there continues to be a shortage of providers delivering quality, evidence-based, outpatient medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services.
CleanSlate is responding to this need by expanding its operations to treat opioid and alcohol addictions in Ohio. The company is opening a new outpatient MAT center in Springfield, CleanSlate’s third center in the state.
Located at 1416 W 1st St., CleanSlate’s Springfield center opened its doors to patients today. CleanSlate participates in-network with most Medicaid and commercial providers in Ohio so that Springfield patients can be treated with minimal or no financial burden.
Related blog: CleanSlate Brings High-Quality Addiction Treatment To The Hard-Hit Westside Area Of Columbus, Ohio
Like many of the communities across Ohio, Springfield is rich in collaboration, yet poor in resources to sufficiently combat the opioid epidemic.
?There just aren’t enough local, evidence-based programs, that accept Medicaid to meet the area’s addiction treatment and wrap-around service needs,” said Anthony Belott, CleanSlate’s Chief Development Officer. “We met with a number of community stakeholders that shared that they were routinely referring patients outside of Clark County; away from their homes, families, and jobs, which in turn actually places patient’s recovery at risk. Our move to Springfield marks a tremendous opportunity to meet patients where they are, and provide complementary services to amazing programs, such as Mercy’s Reach program.
In 2017, Ohio suffered a record 4,854 overdoses, marking a 20 percent increase from the 4,060 recorded in 2016. Of all the overdose deaths in Ohio last year, 71 percent involved fentanyl and related drugs, according to state data. That rate has been steadily increasing since 2014, when 20 percent of overdoses involved fentanyl.
Springfield serves as a waypoint between Columbus and Dayton on US-40, a short offshoot of the infamous I-75 “Heroin Highway.” The impacts of the epidemic on Springfield and Clark County have been well-documented, punctuated by statistics such as one 48-hour period in January 2017 during which 50 drug overdoses overwhelmed the local Clark County EMS and hospital systems, a 21% increase in violent crime in the past year, and a 25.6% poverty rate.
In 2018, the county received a $600,000 federal grant, via the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction, to combat the opioid epidemic. Officials have directed these funds toward enhanced community programs, which CleanSlate is prepared to support as part of its wraparound services for MAT.
Among these programs: as Ohio recently has experienced a 56% increase in Hepatitis C cases, the county now is considering the development of a syringe exchange program.
“Getting patients to discontinue intravenous drug use and into treatment is an important step in addressing the explosion of Hep-C cases in Ohio and throughout the country,” said Belott. “We’re hoping to soon introduce a direct treatment program for Hep-C at our Springfield center, as we have in place at other CleanSlate centers.”
CleanSlate?s Springfield office is located just north of downtown Springfield, easily accessible via public transportation and close to Mercy Hospital, Mercy Behavioral Hospital, and to Springfield Regional Hospital.
?When patients decide they are ready to enter treatment, there needs to be trusted and proven treatment options within reach, and within their community,” said Joan Erwin, CleanSlate’s Senior Vice President of Expansion Operations. “Our presence in Springfield will provide immediate access to effective and proven treatment options such as Naloxone and Buprenorphine, counseling, and social supports.”
Related blog: In Lewis Center, Ohio, Addiction Leader CleanSlate Opens Medication-Assisted Treatment Center That Fast-Tracks Pregnant Patients
A successful model of care
A pioneer and leader in outpatient addiction medicine, CleanSlate is a rapidly expanding national medical group that provides treatment for the chronic disease of addiction, primarily opioid and alcohol use disorders.
The company is actively growing its footprint to expand much-needed access to outpatient medication treatment for addiction. Over the past decade, the company has treated more than 35,000 patients, with more than 12,000 patients currently being treated each month in 10 states. The Springfield center marks CleanSlate?s third center in Ohio, along with Columbus, and Lewis Center, and its 57th across the country including CleanSlate centers in Virginia addressing the opioid epidemic.
Founded in 2009 in response to the country?s growing opioid epidemic, CleanSlate?s physician-led offices utilize medication treatment and related therapies to treat patients who suffer from addiction and associated disorders, adhering to the highest quality, evidence-based practices. The company?s program of care includes appropriate MAT prescribed by licensed medical providers, as well as clear accountability, supportive counseling, and care coordination.
Learn more about CleanSlate at www.cleanslatecenters.com, and sign up for our newsletter to receive regular insights about addiction and the opioid epidemic. To schedule an appointment at any CleanSlate alcohol recovery Ohio center, please visit https://www.cleanslatecenters.com to find the center nearest you. Most CleanSlate centers accept walk-ins.
To make an appointment at CleanSlate?s Springfield center, please call 614-453-1589. To find out more details about this center, click here.
For media inquiries, please contact Amy Brunson at abrunson@cleanslatecenters.com
