Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems (SVCHS) has expanded its New Day Recovery program to Tazewell, Va., providing Office Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) to citizens of Tazewell and surrounding counties. The new location, New Day Recovery Tazewell, was established in collaboration with Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital (CTCH) and will be housed in leased space at the facility.
New Day Recovery (NDR) is a SVCHS program that began in 2016, providing substance use disorder treatment in a primary care, office-based setting offering behavioral therapy, case management, and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). While NDR’s primary focus is treating opioid use disorder, services are available to patients with any type of substance use disorder. NDR’s two established programs in Saltville, Va., and Bristol, Va., support approximately 150 patients. The new Tazewell location will support 50 patients with plans to increase capacity based on need.
“Our mission is to improve access to effective and evidenced-based primary medical and behavioral integrated healthcare to people who want to be in recovery from substance use disorders,” said Behavioral Health and New Day Director for SVCHS, Marcy Rosenbaum, LCSW, CSAC. “Tazewell County has one of the highest rates of opioid use disorder and drug overdoses in the state of Virginia. We are pleased to be able to offer Tazewell and surrounding communities improved access to quality, evidence-based addiction treatment.”
As part of the Tazewell offerings, NDR is partnering with CTCH to launch an Emergency Department Bridge to Treatment program modeled off the successful bridge program at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. This type of program connects substance use disorder patients in emergency departments with OBOT services, providing patients with direct, proactive support. It will be SVCHS’s first bridge program.
CTCH’s recent Community Health Assessment, which compiles community feedback to identify health priorities for the area, underscored the desire for local substance use disorder treatment, citing it as the top-reported need.
“Substance use disorder is pervasive. Such a complex, all-encompassing challenge requires an equally all-encompassing response,” said Alicia Bales, Senior Director for CTCH. “We are so excited to partner with New Day Recovery, offering innovative and impactful tools to support our community in recovery.”
NDR is currently an approved Preferred Office Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) provider by the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and has been used by DMAS to train other potential OBOT providers in Virginia. OBOTs provide lifesaving, FDA-approved prescriptions like buprenorphine and naloxone to patients with Opioid Use Disorder, while also offering behavioral health counseling and case management support. Medication is not dispensed from New Day Recovery, only prescriptions and words of encouragement. DMAS is close to completing the transformation of preferred OBOTs to Office Based Addiction Treatment (OBATs) in order to offer this service to everyone with a substance use disorder, not just opioids. NDR already accepts patients with any substance use disorder
“Our goal is not only to stop the abuse of substances, but also to help people recover and take their lives back,” said Rosenbaum. “Similar to managing heart disease or diabetes, medication for the disease of opioid use disorder may be necessary, but lifestyle changes are also required for sustained recovery. Through the comprehensive OBOT services of New Day Recovery Tazewell, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the communities’ efforts to heal people from addictions.”
New Day Recovery Tazewell had a soft opening on December 8, 2021 and begins full services on Monday, January 24, 2022. New patient referrals are currently being accepted. For more information or to make an appointment, please call New Day Recovery Tazewell at 276-979-9899.