Eastern Oregon Health and Wellness to offer substance use treatment options
LA GRANDE — Dr. Joel Rice and Michelle Frizzell saw a need within the the La Grande community and set out to make a difference with Eastern Oregon Health and Wellness. The organization offers low barrier. . .
LA GRANDE — Dr. Joel Rice and Michelle Frizzell saw a need within the the La Grande community and set out to make a difference with Eastern Oregon Health and Wellness. The organization offers low barrier housing and treatment services to individuals experiencing substance abuse. Eastern Oregon Health and Wellnessprovides recovery housing, soon will offer outpatient services at Reach Recovery, and recently received a grant through the Rural Health Transformation Program to establish a residential treatment and detoxification facility. Frizzell has been a substance use disorder counselor and clinical supervisor for more than 10 years and said treatment options are very much needed in Union County. “I’ve had people die on my caseload,” she said. “One to two a year — every year I’ve done this. ”The first patient who died still brings tears to her eyes. Frizzell recalled the patient struggled with severe stimulant and opioid use disorders. He vacillated about whether or not to enter into residential treatment, but finally agreed to go. After weeks of waiting, Frizzell said he completed his phone interview with a residential treatment provider in Eastern Oregon. He died the next day of a stroke. “It just destroyed me because he’d been waiting for that bed for weeks and weeks,” she said. For men between the ages of 18 and 65 on Medicaid, the wait to get into a residential treatment facility can be eight weeks or longer, Frizzell said. “If you have private insurance, I could get someone in the next day,” she said. “But most of who we’re serving are people on Medicaid. ”The wait is due in part to capacity issues throughout Oregon. Every single bed, Frizzell said, has a wait list. The wait for men is particular is long. “Eight weeks is too long to wait,” she said. “If you were bleeding out and you walked into the hospital, you wouldn’t have to wait eight weeks to be seen. ”Rice said substance use disorders underline “some of the sort of cancers in our community,” such as homelessness, crime, domestic violence, educational failures and underemployment. While prevention is incredibly important, Rice said so is treatment. “My heart is all in Union County — helping Union County,” he said. “What breaks my heart is who I see … and I’ve just seen so many. ”Rice and Frizzell founded Eastern Oregon Health and Wellness in 2022. It took about a year to get things going, Frizzell said, but since then they have been quietly working on projects. “We’re here because Joel and I really care about this community,” Frizzell said. “The vision is to provide really, really good evidence-based, amazing, compassionate, person-centered services. ”Reach RecoveryReach Recovery, 1501 Sixth St. , will offer comprehensive outpatient substance use disorder treatment, Frizzell said, including same-day withdrawal management services. This means individuals who are ready for treatment can get rapid access to medical support. “We’re going to make time and get you served that day,” she said. The type of medicine does depend on the substance, Rice said. For example, someone who has been using opioids might transition to buprenorphine or suboxone, he said, which can be administered as long-acting injectables. There also is medication that prevents alcohol withdrawal from being as severe. Reach Recovery will not be operating a methadone clinic, Frizzell said, but they are hoping to partner with another organization to offer those services. “It’s been very clear to me from the very beginning, you have to get it to them right at the time,” Rice said. “If you allow someone to go into significant withdrawal, they will relapse. It’s just a fact of life. ”For some substances, such as methamphetamine, Rice said there is not much that can be done medically. “There’s not a whole lot you can do, but you can provide them a place to withdraw that’s not right next to their dealer,” he said. Reach Recovery received its certificate of approval from the Oregon Health Authority in March, Frizzell said, and is now in the process of credentialing with insurance companies. This should be done within the next few weeks, so the goal is to open the doors sometime in September. Working on providing a detox facilityWhile Reach Recovery will provide an option for outpatient substance use disorder treatment, Frizzell said there also is a need for local residential treatment. So, they applied for the Rural Health Transformation Program through the Oregon Health Authority. The program is funded through a federal initiative. Eastern Oregon Health and Wellness received a two-year award for just more than $1. 8 million to establish a local detox and inpatient treatment center. The center, which will be at 501 Third St. , will have 16 residential beds with three to four medically monitored detox beds. “It’s going to be a men’s facility initially,” Frizzell said. “The need is greater for men, which is why we chose men. We hope to add a women’s facility eventually. ”There also will be a mixture of licensed and credentialed staff to offer high-intensity residential treatment for co-occurring disorders. This was an important inclusion to Rice as a psychiatrist. “The vast majority of people with substance disorders also have some mental health issues. The vast majority of people with mental health issues have some substance use issues of some kind,” he said. “To break those off into silos makes no sense. ”Rice added that Grande Ronde Hospital seems willing to work with Eastern Oregon Health and Wellness to help integrate medical care. This would allow for patients to get the necessary lab tests and an in-depth exam prior to admission, he said, plus allows for local patients to get connected with a primary care provider for follow ups. The average stay will be anywhere from 60 to 90 days, Frizzell said. The goal is to be up and running by next summer.