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A new and important service is available in Barnesville.
Crossroads Counseling Services, Barnesville Hospital, Ohio Hills Health Services, Mental Health and Recovery Board, and Belmont Professional Associates recently opened Addiction Services of Eastern Ohio in the lower level of the Barnesville Hospital Medical Center. The facility offers an array of treatment services for drug addiction.
According to information provided by Barnesville Hospital, Ohio leads the nation in opioid overdose deaths – and the rate of those deaths is still climbing. In Belmont County during 2016, 24 individuals died as a result of drug overdoses.
Joseph Jeffries, Barnesville Hospital Pharmacy director, said emergency physicians in the past handled one or two overdoses a year at Barnesville. With the increasing abuse of opioids, though, it has become common for the Emergency Department there to treat an overdose patient each week.
"It is apparent the drug epidemic is in our region and it is negatively impacting our families and our communities," he said.
Addiction Services of Eastern Ohio now offers three types of services: withdrawal maintenance, behavioral counseling and medication-assisted treatment. Withdrawal maintenance is intended to help detoxify a person who is actively using opiates, heroin, alcohol, Suboxone or Subutex by providing medication to help deal with the discomfort of withdrawal in their home environment. Clients are screened for substance use throughout the seven- to 10-day process. Support groups allow participants to talk to others going through the same process.
Behavioral Counseling in individual, group and intensive outpatient settings are also offered at the Barnesville location. They are intended to assist patients who cannot travel for counseling and behavior modification.
Medication-assisted treatment is available for those who are addicted to opiates or alcohol. Non-addictive Vivitrol blocks the receptors in the brain that allow a person to get high. This helps clients with the physical cravings for opioids, heroin, alcohol, Suboxone or Subutex. Officials say this, combined with behavior modification, has been proven to be the best option for recovery.
We urge local residents with addiction issues – or their family members and friends -- to explore the options available through this new facility. For additional information, call 740-425-5780 or call Crossroads Counseling Services' 24-hour hotline in case of an emergency at 800-202-3900.