Substance use disorder affects people in all walks of life, no matter their profession or socio-economic status. No one is immune from substance use disorder impacting their lives, whether it is a family member, friend or themselves.

September marks the 30th anniversary of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. This year’s theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together We Are Stronger,” could be the theme for The Wright Center for Community Health’s comprehensive recovery programs for people facing alcohol and substance use disorder in a nine-county area of Northeast Pennsylvania.

The Wright Center for Community Health was recognized as a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence in 2016, accepting their first patient in February 2017. Since then, about 2,300 people have interacted with the program and 670 patients are currently actively involved in the Center of Excellence

“We’ve grown tremendously as an organization and as a recovery community. When you have a village mentality, you are tapping into every resource to meet the needs of patients. It’s about getting them on and keeping them on a recovery journey, regardless of their pathway,” said Scott Constantini, assistant vice president of primary care and recovery services integration at The Wright Center for Community Health.

Services to Support People with SUD

As an integrated health care organization, the Center of Excellence works with patients to ensure they have the proper medical care and treatments for their recovery to be successful. When a patient who hasn’t seen a doctor in 20 years enters the Center of Excellence program, they are offered access to medical, dental, behavioral health and other supportive service lines. Every patient is connected with a case manager and a certified recovery specialist (CRS) for support. Medication for Opiate Use Disorder (MOUD) treatment is also available.

“We offer multiple pathways to recovery; what works for one patient may not work for another. We have grown both our Center of Excellence to expand patient capacity and we’ve also grown our collaborative partners in the community to meet the needs of our patients. It’s about a full circle of services,” said Constantini.

Together with these community partners, The Wright Center for Community Health connects patients with multiple recovery supports, treatment, and socioeconomic necessities.

The Healthy MOMS program

The Healthy MOMS (Maternal Opiate Medical Support) program supports pregnant women and mothers with substance use disorder. Launched in 2018, the program has treated 420 mothers, with 223 babies born during that time. Currently, 168 mothers are active within the program.

Healthy MOMS provides intensive case management services for expectant mothers throughout their pregnancy up until their youngest child is two years old. The program aims to stabilize this high-risk population and allows participants to receive the necessary support to manage their chronic condition in conjunction with pregnancy and the postpartum period.

“Many mothers in the program are considered high-risk pregnancies because of their prescribed MOUD. Our case management provides many services by connecting this population with resources including family planning, OB/GYN, pediatricians, and social services like transportation, housing and WIC,” said Maria Kolcharno, director of addiction services.

Efforts to Reduce the Stigma

An important function of the Center of Excellence is to work in the community to reduce and educate the stigma associated with addiction.

“We are doing a lot of work around stigma. People are no longer feeling alone in their recovery journey,” said Constantini. “Unfortunately, society doesn’t look at addiction as a chronic health condition. They tend to look at it as a moral failure or choice and we are working to change that narrative.”

The Wright Center for Community Health is a part of Project PROGRESS (Providing Recovery Opportunities for Growth, Education, and Sustainable Success), a multi-county recovery-to work program that connects people in recovery with employers in six counties.

The program works with employers to educate them about the benefits of hiring people in recovery and coordinates training classes to make more CRSs available in the community.

Addiction Affects the Family

Families struggle with addiction as it is a family disease. Addiction is very powerful and no different than if someone was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

Families are encouraged to also seek support to understand the disease through local Al-anon support groups or other family support organizations. In these groups, families will learn how to offer positive support and understand the symptoms of the disease.

For more information about recovery programs at The Wright Center for Community Health, visit TheWrightCenter.org.

Best Practices for Getting and Remaining Sober:

Sobriety is very personal and may mean different things to different people. By definition, sobriety means not being under the influence of a substance, whether alcohol or drugs.

It is estimated that 80% of people who experience long-term sobriety had at least one relapse during their journey to sobriety. Some people experience many setbacks before they find long-term recovery.

You have recognized your need for sobriety, which is the very first step. The more strategies you use for your recovery, the higher the chances are that you will remain sober. Below are some best practices to getting and remaining sober.

Identify your triggers.
The biggest part of preventing relapse is knowing what causes the relapse and avoiding them. Some common triggers include:

• Stress
• Environmental cues
• People who are still using
• Relationship troubles
• Job or financial problems

Recognize warning signs.

A relapse can happen when you least expect it. Warning signs of relapse include:

• Returning to addictive thinking patterns
• Engaging in compulsive behaviors
• Seeking out situations or people involved with drugs or alcohol
• Thinking less rationally

Additional strategies for a successful recovery include:

• Prepare for Post-Acute Withdrawal Symptoms (PAWS)
• Avoid old routines
• Build healthy relationships
• Ask for help and seek local agencies that can assist you with getting the appropriate help.
• Get support from new, sober friends and those who are successful in their recovery
• Develop a structured routine to your day
• Find employment and focus on your finances
• Practice healthy living and exercise
• Deal with past mistakes
• Find balance in your life
• Acknowledge your hard work and how far you have come towards your recovery

For more information on best practices to getting and remaining sober, visit The Wright Center Opioid Center of Excellence online at thewrightcenter.org

The Wright Center for Community Health has named a new vice president and chief clinical operating officer and director of certified registered nurse practitioner and physician assistant services.

Colleen Dougherty, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC, will coordinate overall business operations for the health center and work to ensure all primary care and service line operations are aligned with The Wright Center’s mission and strategic objectives. She also will maintain her duties as director of CRNP and physician assistant services, including overseeing scheduling and participating in recruitment, orientation, and performance evaluation.

Since joining The Wright Center for Community Health in 2017, Dougherty has led several process improvements to improve the health center and the care offered to patients. She enhanced a screening process used by providers to identify behavioral health issues. Since implementing those changes in March, the practices have seen a 24% increase in the use of these potentially life-saving screenings. 

Dougherty earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Penn State University in 2014. Last year, she earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Scranton. 

The Wright Center for Community Health’s patient-centered medical home has 10 locations in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties, as well as a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health, that serves more than 40,0000 unique patients annually and ensures everyone in the service area has access to integrated, high-quality, affordable health services, regardless of their insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay.

For more information about The Wright Center for Community Health or the nearest location, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570.230.0019.