CARE center recognized as among top in state
The Washington office of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services CARE Center nabbed top accolades as one of the 20 best opioid treatment centers in the state.
The center was named a “Center of Excellence” by the office of Gov. Tom Wolf ahead of a planned dispersal of $15 million in anti-opioid funding for 2016, as approved in the state budget. Wolf had sought $34 million to fight opioid addiction. The centers also will receive federal funding of $5 million to increase capacity for clients and expand holistic treatment of addiction.
“There’s no word yet exactly how much money we’ll get,” said SPHS CARE Center executive director Kellie McKevitt, “but we’re being recognized because we met the metrics the state was asking to show in terms of increasing capacity. The state was asking centers to increase capacity to near 300. We’ve gone from 170 to 230 in the past 18 months.”
The plan announced by the governor’s office is to have funding and further resources for Medicaid-supported care centers in place by Oct. 1.
The new designation serves to label the CARE Center a regional hub for patients who would be best served by holistic care and management. According to the Center of Excellence criteria, patients best served by their care methods are opioid drug users who may have co-occurring physical and health problems and also need help to navigate the care system to stay engaged in treatment.
The CARE Center, at 75 E. Maiden St., is the only drug-focused SPHS treatment center in the region.
“We’re looking forward to helping critical populations in our communities, and this funding boost will help the fight to end the opioid abuse epidemic,” McKevitt said.
The methods will include medication-assisted treatment, something Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone said is crucial to the three-pronged approach to treating addicts.
“Medication-assisted treatment is a recognized, effective treatment modality in keeping people compliant in recovery … (We) have aggressively pushed a three-part plan with law enforcement and state and federal medical authorities to aggressively prosecute heartless dealers who poison communities, educate the public and treat offenders addicted to opiates,” Vittone said.