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New opioid treatment center coming to Port Orange after 2020 nationwide uptick in deaths

News-Journal - 8/3/2021

PORT ORANGE — A new opioid treatment facility is slated to open this fall at a time when overdose deaths have continued to climb in both Volusia County and across the nation.

Acadia Healthcare is currently renovating a property at 3928 Nova Road that they hope to open in late October that will become a Comprehensive Treatment Center for people battling opioid dependence. The renovations should be finished in August, according to a June report from Port Orange City Manager Wayne Clark.

The new facility will open as the number of deaths associated with opioid abuse have spiked across the country, especially in early 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.

Last week, the federal Centers for Disease Control released data showing deaths related to synthetic opioids increased by nearly 30 percent between 2019 (72,151) and 2020 (92,183).

According to data from The Commonwealth Fund foundation, the number of opioid-related deaths in the country remained from 5,000 to 6,700 deaths monthly from February 2016 until February 2020. After a jump above 7,000 in March and April 2020, then peaked at 9,362 deaths in May 2020.

In Volusia County, according to the medical examiner office, drug-related deaths in the county went from 423 in 2019 to 591 in 2020.

According to a March 2021Commonwealth Fund article co-authored by David Radley, senior scientist for the Fund, factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the increase in numbers. The factors included social isolation, economic worries, and increased mental distress.

Acadia Healthcare is a behavioral health service provider that "provides psychiatric and chemical dependency services," according to their website. Acadia's facilities range from psychiatric hospitals to specialty treatment centers such as the facility planned for Port Orange. Comprehensive Treatment Centers are regulated through the Florida Department of Children and Families.

"The Department of Children and Families is committed to preventing opioid-related deaths and to helping Floridians to recover from opioid use disorder, and our efforts are focused on prevention, treatment, and recovery," department spokesman John Harrell wrote in an email to The News-Journal.

Every year, "the department conducts needs assessments to determine which Florida counties require additional methadone medication-assisted treatment programs," Harrell added.

The new Port Orange location will offer "outpatient treatment programs that include administering and dispensing of medications federally approved for the treatment of opioid dependence in conjunction with the provision of appropriate social, clinical, and medical services for individuals who are dependent on opiates, opioids or morphine-like substances," the city manager's report stated.

"As the nation's leading provider of medication-assisted treatment, Acadia Healthcare's CTC Division is at the forefront of delivering treatment for those who are suffering from opioid use disorder," Acadia spokesperson Gretchen Hommrich told The News-Journal in an email.

The new facility will be able to treat approximately 500 patients.

"Medication-assisted treatment is considered the highest standard of care for opioid substance use," Hommrich said.

Key parts of the treatment for "opioid abuse disorder," Hommrich said, include:

Beyond the other factors people have faced during the pandemic, it caused a disruption to in-person medical visits and access to addiction support.

"New facilities will provide more options in which persons who use drugs can seek multiple paths to recovery," Volusia County Health spokesman Ethan Johnson said in an email to The News-Journal.

In July, lawyers from local governments announced a $26 billion settlement agreement with Johnson & Johnson and three other drug distribution companies. States will have 30 days to approve the agreement.

More: States detail $26B settlement to resolve opioid lawsuits with Johnson & Johnson, drug distributors

Not only is the rise in deaths related to opioid abuse a challenge, but also the patient's ability to afford treatment is a concern for Acadia, Hommrich said.

"The need for this type of treatment continues to grow," Hommrich said. "Access to care is the No. 1 challenge for individuals to receive the care they need. Our new facility in Volusia County aims to help eliminate that barrier in this community."

Hommrich said Medicaid can cover treatment for many patients, and Acadia will assist patients who may not afford treatment with enrollment in Medicaid. "We work with all insurance options and assist patients with financial counseling to help with co-insurance and co-pays," she said.

Early in the year, Volusia County Health received a $500,000 grant from the National Association of County and City Health Officials "to support activities that address the community's challenges related to drug overdoses." The project began in January 2021 and will run until July 2022.

Acadia has yet to decide on partnerships with local organizations for the new center, Hommrich said, but plans are in the works.

"We partner with local community organizations and health departments across the county," Hommrich said. "We will start to build these partnerships as we get closer to opening the facility and have the opportunity to work directly with those in the community."

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