SYRACUSE — Crouse Hospital is expanding its opioid-treatment program from 500 to 800 patients in response to a “community need for methadone treatment.”
That’s according to a memo sent Dec. 19 to employees of the facility’s chemical-dependency treatment services.
The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) approved the expansion, the memo said.
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Opiods are medications used as treatment to manage pain. Methadone is used an opioid pain reliever and as part of drug-addiction detoxification and maintenance programs, according to the website drugs.com. The site is based in Auckland, New Zealand. The Drugsite Trust, a privately held trust that two New Zealand pharmacists administer, operates the website.
Like other regions of the county, Central New York is faced with a prescription-drug “crisis” that has also resulted in increased heroin use, Monika Taylor, director of chemical-dependency treatment, said in the memo.
“For many patients, medication-assisted treatment allows them to begin their journey towards recovery and normalcy including stable employment and overall improvement of quality of life,” Taylor said.
Crouse hopes to reach “full capacity” over a 90-week period.
The expansion also means Mark Raymond, who has led the program as clinical supervisor for more than three years, will become a manager “due to the increased responsibilities for the role,” the memo said.
Raymond has worked with Crouse’s chemical-dependency program since 1996, when he started as a counselor, according to the memo. He has been part of the opioid-treatment program since 2001. In that time, he has held the role of counselor, charge counselor, and currently clinical supervisor.
He will assume his role of manager effective Jan 5, the Crouse memo said.
The program expansion includes adding staff to provide not only quality care, but to also be compliant with staffing levels that OASAS requires, according to the hospital.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
