The opioid epidemic has hit every part of the United States, with an estimated 115 people dying everyday due to overdoses. Opioids include both illegal drugs (e.g., heroin) and prescription painkillers such as fentanyl, codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine.
The tri-state area of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware has not been immune to this crisis, with reports showing that opioid-related deaths in this region are continuing to climb year after year. For instance, an estimated 3,000 New Jersey residents will lose their lives because of an opioid-related overdose in 2018 alone.
As an outpatient methadone treatment center, Trenton Healthcare Clinic has taken this crisis to heart and has dedicated itself to helping the tri-state area’s citizens who are most vulnerable to opioid addiction.
How is Trenton Healthcare Helping?
Offering both methadone and suboxone treatment programs, Trenton Healthcare is on the cutting edge of access, care, and recovery for those struggling with addiction. Melissa Bishop, the MAT division director for Trenton Healthcare Clinic describes it as a “comprehensive treatment program,” that offers drug-free services and applicable medical care in addition to counseling and medication-assisted treatment.
The methadone and suboxone treatments provided by Trenton Healthcare and administered by medical staff are dosed on a patient-to-patient basis regarding individual needs. These medications help with the withdrawal symptoms of opiates and offset the intense cravings for the addictive substances, making relapse less likely.
Patients are also given access to necessary aid regarding their health, including medical examinations and testing for HIV, hepatitis, urinalysis, and tuberculosis.
In addition to these proven methods of addiction treatments, Trenton Healthcare Clinic offers patients one-and-one and group counseling (including 12-step meetings) to help with the long-term, sustained recovery from opiate addiction.
Dedicated to Sustained Sobriety
Taking a holistic approach to overall health and wellness, Trenton Healthcare Clinic focuses as much on the physical as they do the mental and emotional aspects of recovery. This includes integrating a patient’s loved ones into the rehabilitation process.
“We focus heavily on engaging the family [when it comes to] helping the process along, as well as giving the patient the attention they need,” Bishop says, adding that not all outpatient clinics provide counseling in their programs.
That’s because Trenton Healthcare Clinic believes strongly in people. Patients aren’t treated like someone to get in and out quickly, rather someone to care for and nurture, while giving them the tools they need to maintain lifelong sobriety.
Making the Future Possible
The program is also focused on what comes after outpatient care. Trenton Healthcare Clinic provides clinics that concentrate on educational and vocational options for those who want to start their new, sober life on the right foot.
Trenton Healthcare Clinic, which accepts NJ Medicaid, will treat anyone in the tri-state area who needs assistance, regardless of race, religion, ethnic origin, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender, age, or financial situation.
“There’s a need for help,” Bishop says of the opioid epidemic in the tri-state area and beyond, “And we’re [trying] to help people who need it the most.”
