According to data collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an average of 2.8% of Utah residents over the age of 12 had a past-year illicit drug disorder between the years 2017 and 2019, similar to the national average of 2.9%. The same study found that an average of 3.8% had an alcohol use disorder in that period, lower than the national average of 5.3%.
In Carbon and Emery County, we have seen addiction tear through the community and rip apart families, leading public officials and citizens alike to search for answers on how to quell this addiction crisis. One such organization is Castleview Hospital, which offers the StepOne program to help those in recovery get through the beginning of their journey.
Tawnee Eley, the StepOne recovery care coordinator sat down with Castle Country Radio to discuss the program and the steps that would come after a patient’s stay.
Opening up our conversation, Eley gave a brief overview of the program,” StepOne is a three to five-day in-hospital medical withdrawal management for alcohol and opioid addictions. And it is for anybody that is over the age of 18.”
Diving deeper into what the program offers, Eley explained,” So we do detox management where we help manage your withdrawal symptoms, stuff like that. We also set up the discharge plan for the patient. We will help get you into treatment centers, and other things like that.”
As with most programs aimed at helping those in need, an admission process is necessary to ensure that the patient is committed to the journey, with StepOne, Eley explained what that admission process looks like,” at first we do a telephone prescreen. Those who are looking for help would call our intake line at 435-636-4808. And then they’ll speak with our care coordinator who will gather all their information, such as insurance information, medical history, stuff like that.”
After the prescreen, Eley discussed the in-person side of the process. “We will then schedule them to do an in-person assessment where when we have them come in, and we have to have them a little bit sick. They have to be in the early stage of withdrawal. So if they meet the criteria for that, what we do is we then admit them into the hospital just as if they were going in for surgery or another medical procedure.”
Eley Continued,” We’ll take them back to their room, kind of go through their belongings just to make sure that nothing is being brought in. We then let our nursing and our hospital physician staff know that the patient is there so that we can go ahead and get a jump start on those medications to help with that withdrawal management.”
After the patient has been medically cleared, they begin the next part of their recovery,” That’s where our discharge planning will come in. I mean, going through the withdrawal management is the easiest part of this whole process. After that, it’s rewiring everything in your brain to help with those addiction cravings. So we like to set them up with therapy or their physician provider to help with medication treatment. Sometimes even going as far as residential treatment centers, anything that we think will help the patient have the best possible outcome.”
Closing out our conversation, Eley wanted to reassure people seeking help that,” we do accept most insurances. I know that’s a huge thing that’s on everybody’s mind. So that includes Medicaid and Medicare.” Eley continued,” We don’t want somebody stuck with a massive hospital bill. So even if you don’t have insurance, definitely give us a call. We have a ton of other resources that we can get in line for you.”
For more information on StepOne Recovery, including contact information, you visit their website here or call 435-636-4808.