The Wright Center: Turning Pain into Progress

How one man’s story fuels hope for others.

Five days a week, Rick Frey talks to people experiencing substance use disorder, helping them set goals, cheering on their successes, and sometimes pointing out inconsistencies in the stories they tell themselves.

Certified recovery specialist Rick Frey in his office at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre. After struggling with substance use disorder for 20 years, Frey has been sober for five years, and now helps guide patients in their own recovery journeys.

He knows firsthand about the battles his patients fight every day. For 20 years, the certified recovery specialist at The Wright Center for Community Health lived with substance use disorder. A state prison sentence in 2020, coupled with the realization that he was failing his two young children, sparked Frey’s desire for a new kind of life.

He began working for The Wright Center in July 2024 after participating in a grant-funded program called Project PROGRESS, which stands for Providing Recovery Opportunities for Growth, Education, and Sustainable Success. With funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission, The Wright Center and several regional community partners provided access to career training while challenging the stigma associated with employing people with substance use disorder.

“I shouldn’t be here. I was hit by a car. I was thrown from a truck. I survived several overdoses,” Frey said. “But God had a different plan.”

‘Numb the pain’

Frey and his colleagues at The Wright Center celebrate National Recovery Month each September to raise awareness about mental health and substance use disorders and to celebrate the achievements of individuals in recovery.

Substance use disorder has deep roots in Frey’s family. His own began at just 12 years old, when friends of his sister introduced him to LSD, a powerful hallucinogen. Throughout his teenage years, he continued experimenting with drugs and alcohol. When he was 18, the sudden death of his father sent him into a downward spiral.

“Grief was the starting point for my descent into addiction,” he said. “Losing my father unexpectedly left me feeling empty, and I sought ways to numb the pain. That’s when I turned to heroin and methamphetamine.”

What began as an escape quickly turned into a trap. With the support of his family, the Wilkes-Barre Township native made multiple attempts at rehabilitation. At 25, he remained sober for nearly a year and began rebuilding his life in Philadelphia with help from his aunt. But when he returned to Scranton for a court hearing, a broken-down car extended his stay. Reunited with old friends, he soon fell back into familiar patterns.

Rick Frey, a certified recovery specialist, meets with someone in a behavioral health meeting room at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre. Frey said he uses what he learned from counselors who helped him on his recovery journey to help others who have substance use disorder.

Now, he realizes he was missing a key step in his recovery journey.

“I would do what they told me, and I’d work the steps,” Frey said, referring to the main tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. “But I wasn’t facing my grief over losing my father. I wasn’t facing my depression and my anxiety, so I never really made any meaningful progress.”

‘I can’t keep doing this’

A series of difficult blows starting in 2018 – including back-to-back DUI charges and the end of his relationship with the mother of his two children – left Frey struggling to regain stability.

“I realized I can’t keep doing this,” Frey said. “My daughter wouldn’t even look at me. So, I just surrendered.”

He cut ties with old friends and went into a rehabilitation program for 45 days. From there, he lived for seven months in a halfway house, followed by a year in a sober living house. It was the longest he’d ever maintained sobriety. Inspired by the counselors and staff who helped him with his recovery journey, he enrolled at Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) to earn his associate degree in human services. He began his current career path at Clearbrook Treatment Centers, where he started as an intake coordinator and then served in various roles, including case manager.

While earning his associate degree and working at Clearbrook, Frey began pursuing certification as a recovery specialist through Project PROGRESS.  It was during this time that he was first introduced to The Wright Center and its unique services for people with substance use disorders, including its Pennsylvania-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence. The Wright Center uses a team-based approach to tailor treatment plans to each patient, integrating treatment for substance use disorder with behavioral and primary health services.

Impressed by the passion and expertise of The Wright Center’s staff, Frey was eager to join the team. He is now based at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre, 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave.

Rick Frey, one of The Wright Center’s certified recovery specialists, talks with colleague Jill Kalson at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre, 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Frey is part of a team-based approach that integrates substance use disorder treatment with behavioral and primary health services.

He remembers the techniques his counselors used throughout his recovery, especially the frustrating moments when they helped him see how his excuses were holding him back. Today, he uses those same methods with his patients.

“Recovery isn’t easy and everyone’s journey is different,” Frey said. “But I learned that you can be the victim of your trauma, or you could use it to help you transform into something better and stronger.”

‘Make a difference’

Frey is just one of 101 people who participated in certified recovery specialist training programs through Project PROGRESS, which concluded in September. A total of 76 people completed the training; dozens of them went on to work with people recovering from substance use disorders at companies across the region.

“When I hear Rick’s story, and the stories of so many others who successfully went through the program, I feel like The Wright Center has made a difference,” said Shannon Osborne, a project manager who oversaw Project PROGRESS at The Wright Center. “I am grateful to work on projects that provide such positive outcomes for people in our communities.”

As he celebrates five years of sobriety, Frey is attending Misericordia University part-time, working on his bachelor’s degree in social work, with plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work and public administration. When he isn’t studying or working with his clients, you can find the former high school athlete coaching his 11-year-old son’s football and basketball teams. Recently, he volunteered as an assistant coach for his 8-year-old daughter’s soccer team, helping lead them to an undefeated season.

In addition to guiding his kids’ sports teams to victory, Frey dreams of becoming more deeply involved in the conversation about how to best address the still-growing addiction crisis locally and nationwide.

“We need advocates to show up at rallies, meet with our elected representatives, and talk about what we can do to help people,” Frey said. “Everybody knows someone who has been impacted by addiction.”

Rick Frey, far right, with his 8-year-old daughter, Isabella, far left, and 11-year-old son, Ricky.

For more information about The Wright Center for Community Health and The Wright Center for Community Health’s Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.

Get to know Project PROGRESS

  • Funded in part through an Appalachian Regional Commission INSPIRE grant.
  • Led by The Wright Center for Community Health with regional partners including Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance, The Institute, Luzerne County Community College, and Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center.
  • Hosted six Certified Recovery Specialist training sessions attended by 101 individuals.
  • Of the 76 people who completed the training, 48 earned certifications as either certified recovery specialists, certified family recovery specialists, certified recovery specialist supervisors, or a combination of the certifications.
  • Learn more at projectprogressnepa.org

The Wright Center Shines Light on Substance Use Disorder

The Wright Center agrees that most of us know someone who has struggled with substance use disorder. For too many people, it’s a battle that ends in tragedy. Clearly, we need every possible resource we can muster to fight this ever-evolving public health crisis that affects our communities, and awareness campaigns like International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) play a prominent role.

Observed every Aug. 31, IOAD not only raises awareness about overdose but also promotes evidence-based overdose prevention measures and drug policy. More poignantly, it also recognizes the overwhelming grief felt by the families and friends of those who have died or suffered permanent injury due to an overdose.

The theme of this year’s IOAD is “Together we can,” which illustrates the power of communities to stand together and lessen one of the world’s biggest public health crises through collective action. It’s a great, hopeful message.

The Wright Center for Community Health works every day to deliver hope to the individuals and families touched by substance use disorder and overdoses. Our Pennsylvania-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence has been one of the local leaders in providing community-based substance use disorder treatment since 2016 when it was among the 45 flagship centers named by the state.

Patients qualify for Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence care if they have an opioid use disorder, have co-occurring behavioral/substance misuse and physical health conditions, require assistance navigating the health care system, and need guidance to stay engaged in treatment in order to avoid relapse. Services are offered regardless of the patient’s insurance status or ability to pay, with a sliding-fee discount program available to those who qualify.

Unlike a traditional inpatient rehabilitation facility, we offer an outpatient services model that allows patients to receive exceptional care while attending to the other aspects of their lives. We employ a “whole-patient” philosophy centered around medications for opiate use disorder, a truly innovative concept that combines medical and social supports to guide an individual on their recovery journey.

Patients are cared for by a first-rate and highly committed team of recovery and behavioral health specialists, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, certified recovery specialists, and medical providers, who collaborate closely to counsel and support individuals coping with a variety of substance use disorders – not just opioids, but also alcohol, cocaine, and other addictive drugs. We also help them find stable housing, navigate insurance barriers, and repair family and community relationships.

The Wright Center for Community Health also works to reduce opioid-related deaths and has been approved as a Pennsylvania Overdose Prevention Program (POPP) site. Through this program, The Wright Center distributes naloxone kits and drug-checking strips to individuals in the event they experience an emergency with a family member, friend, or in the community. Naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, is free to the community at any of our regional community health centers.

We’re also very proud of our Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support (Healthy MOMS) Program, which recently received a $62,000 grant from the Wilkes-Barre City Health Department to expand its services. The grant came via the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Services block grant, which the state allocated to the city’s health department for distribution.

Healthy MOMS, co-founded by The Wright Center in 2018 and modeled after a program in Ohio, is a multi-agency effort that assists pregnant women and new mothers in achieving and maintaining sobriety. It was first launched in Lackawanna and Susquehanna counties but now serves women and their families throughout much of Northeast Pennsylvania. To date, the program has served more than 500 mothers and 282 babies.

Participants are offered blanket services that include medications for opiate use disorder and other addiction services, counseling, primary health care, OB-GYN care, parenting tips, legal advice, and other forms of support. Based on the available evidence, mothers who join Healthy MOMS and participate in recovery services well before their delivery dates are less likely to give birth to babies who experience neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a potentially painful and costly medical condition caused when a newborn withdrawal from opioids or other drugs that the baby had been exposed to in the womb. We see addiction as a lifelong disease requiring a long-term commitment to recovery. Rest assured, we’ll continue improving upon that commitment in the years ahead. Together, we can save and enhance the lives of many people in our communities.