By Wayne Gates
A new 56 bed inpatient drug treatment facility will be opening in Mt. Orab this fall.
The Phoenix Center is under construction on Mercy Blvd. near Mt. Orab Mercy off Brooks-Malott Road. It is expected to begin treating its first patients on October 1.
Executive Director Stephanie Blust said that the October opening is the first step toward full operation.
“We have to service ten patients successfully for 60 days to obtain our certification from the state,” said Blust.
She said that the goal is to be in full operation by December 1 of this year.
Blust said that the facility will accept Medicaid and private insurance, with most inpatient stays being between 30 and 90 days.
“It really depends on the level of each individuals addiction treatment needs and what the insurance will cover,” Blust said.
The center will treat both men and women, keeping the genders separate while they recover from addiction.
“Right now we have 26 male and 26 female beds, but we will be able to adjust that according to the demand,” Blust said.
The center will offer a full spectrum of addiction treatment and counseling, including legal and illegal drugs and alcohol.
“We are also going to couple that with cognitive behavioral classes as well, so they will learn a lot of skills to cope with what a lot of people with addiction struggle with,” she said.
“Everything from parenting, life skills classes and other classes designed to help people cope as sober individuals. A lot of people don’t understand how to really function when they come out of addiction.”
Blust said that patients will also get help when they leave the facility.
“We are also going to have a re-entry program. So when they finish our program, we want them sober and ready to be successful on a long term basis.”
She added that the “re-entry” concept is the most important part for many addicts trying to reclaim their lives.
“Some of them start as pre-teens and we are getting them when they are 30 to 40 years old. They are trying to live a sober life, but they are lacking some of the basic concepts of sober life like what it’s like to go to an interview, what it’s like to hold down a job,” Blust said.
“They are going to be dealing with triggers that come from living a lifestyle of addiction. Stressors, old friends, old places, bad habits and poor choices will all come up once they are back in the community, so that will be discussed as necessary with their therapist.”
Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Gusweiler said that The Phoenix Center will have a positive effect on the Brown County community.
“I am very pleased that there will soon be another much needed local treatment option that is available to the citizens of Brown County to help them improve their lives and the lives of their families,” he said. “Any resource that the citizens can go to without the necessity for a criminal case to get them there is helpful for everyone.”
Blust said that Gusweiler’s desire to help addicts in the criminal justice system is crucial to their success.
“He’s a good man and he really cares about treatment, rehabilitation and the people of the community,” she said.
Where The Phoenix Center may fit into the treatment plan for someone in the judicial system will be determined on an individual basis by the court.
Blust said that having a local treatment option will make a big difference for addicts.
“Being close to family and friends is about seventy percent of what it takes to successfully treat addiction. By being local, their family is going to see their success and that will help them.”
Blust said that while many people focus on the number of addicts in the court system, there is another group that is being underserved.
“You have people who have never been in trouble with the court, but the family is in turmoil because of the behavior of the addict. Even if there is stealing or other crimes, if they haven’t been in trouble with the police, there was no place for them to go for treatment. Now there will be,” she said.
Blust worked most recently as the Chief Probation Officer and ISP Director for Clinton County Common Pleas Court. She has been in the criminal justice field for 16 years.
“I am excited about the ability to change family trees and break the cycle of addiction. When you do that, you change the lives of children and others as well as the addict,” she said.
“What I always tell people who have been lucky enough not to have been personally affected by addiction is that people who are addicted to drugs are already in your community. Let’s make them healthier. Make them productive, taxpaying members of your community. Because they are not going anywhere. We are here to help them and make the community stronger as a whole.”
Blust said that there are rewards to helping people change their lives that go beyond money.
“It makes all the stress and hard work worth it when a successful person says thank you. Every single person suffering from addiction is someone’s child, parent, sibling or has some other connection. They all count for something. To help change one person’s life is the most rewarding thing,” she said.
For more information on The Phoenix Center, go to thephoenixcenters.com.
