From alcohol to opioids, experts say there’s several substances that have devastated Cape families in recent years. Brightview Health’s Community Outreach Manager Lee Wright says their organization is working on highlighting those issues, as well as less talked about challenges like transportation, housing, and childcare—all of which can compound on an individual’s journey to get help.
A new drug addiction center has opened in Middletown and another treatment center that opened two years ago has been licensed to administer methadone that treats narcotic drug addiction. BrightView Health addiction treatment center opened last month at 4421 Roosevelt Blvd. BrightView is the largest addiction treatment provider in Ohio with nearly 11,000 Ohioans under care across 37 centers in the state, said Jean Dugger, operations director.
The holidays are often an exciting time spent with family and friends, but for those battling addiction or on the road to recovery, the celebrations can be challenging. Tom Fraticelli, Director of Outreach for Brightview Health treatment facility, says nearly half of all adults know someone who is suffering with a substance use disorder.
Adam Pendleton grew up in Ohio’s Clermont County, where drug addiction was generational. “My mom and dad are both drug addicts; it’s a rite of passage,” Pendleton said. “Everybody in my neighborhood was a drug addict. All my friends were drug addicts, and we normalized that type of f***ed-up thinking from a pretty early age.”
“I spent a really long time in a really dark place in a bottle and I had made the decision with my wife that I was going to go to detox,” the 51-year-old Aurora resident said. “I was afraid of going through it without being medically supervised because I was under the influence of alcohol for so long” Crawford marked three months of sobriety on Dec. 11, a time of year when many dealing with substance addiction issues, whether alcohol or drugs, might be starting to feel additional stress.
Better late than never: Though the company started in September of last year, Somerset’s BrightView addiction treatment center celebrated its first anniversary Wednesday. Though their anniversary of their foundation was back on September 6, 2023, BrightView pushed back a celebration to this Wednesday in order to recognize the contributions they’ve made to the Pulaski County community and to also award team members Meghan Gilmore and Toby Pratt with an award called Target4-Region6.
While the holiday season can be tough on anyone, this time of year can present additional challenges for people recovering from addiction. Daniel Buhay, community outreach manager for BrightView Lynn Addiction Treatment Center, said that there are a variety of challenges the holidays can present to people in recovery.
Holidays are a time for social and family gatherings. Though this is a time to celebrate with family and friends, for people struggling with addiction, this time of the year is one of the most challenging. “It is probably the biggest time of the year for people to experience a relapse,” said Lee Wright, community outreach manager for Cape Cod at BrightView Hyannis Addiction Treatment Center. “There’s so much exposure and triggers during the holidays, which makes it even easier to relapse.”
Brightview Addiction Treatment Center hosted a mobile dentistry clinic in Henderson for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid members Tuesday. The event is a part of Anthem Medicaid’s “Brighter Smiles, Brighter Futures” campaign. “Transportation is always a barrier in our community and in surrounding communities,” said Brightview community outreach manager, Karen Tapp. “So being able to have it in one spot, allows people to make it a lot easier to find out about resources and take advantage of those resources.”
Cincinnati-based BrightView Health is Ohio’s largest substance use treatment agency. It provides those services in seven other states with more than 85 facilities. On November 2, it opened its newest center on Burkhardt Road. WYSO’s Jerry Kenney spoke with Keitha Siler, Community Outreach Manager for Brightview Montgomery Countyabout the agency’s growth and how their approach to addiction services.
