This week, the locally owned Freedom Healthcare Services building in Ellwood City will be celebrating its 2 year anniversary. Their official “birthday” is Thursday, November 15.
Owner Hunter Farmer and his group of employees have grown into a facility that now has treated over 300 people since opening two years ago.
The building, located at 773 Pershing Street, has treated 329 people since it’s grand opening, with 120 active patients currently. While that is only a fraction of the 3,000 patients their Bridgeville location has served in its 10 years, it’s still a noteworthy accomplishment.
While working closely with Lawrence County Drug and Alcohol Commission, 98-99% of their patients are completely voluntary, meaning no court/judge is making them attend this center.
Local employees at the Ellwood City facility on Pershing Street. Ashley Smocheck and Hunter Farmer pictured to the far right.
Farmer came across Ellwood City from a friend of his father who had, at the time, been on the Ellwood City Hospital board and had asked him to explore the possible opportunities Ellwood City had to offer.
The original plan was for their facility to be held within the hospital, but after finding that there was not an appropriate amount of space, other options had to be found. While being able to stay in Ellwood, the clinic has hired a staff of local people.
Farmer said, “what was important (to us) was that we had the support of the hospital, and we do.”
The program at Freedom Healthcare is completely outpatient. Participants are exposed to a one hour session with a counselor once a week, as well as a doctor. They also offer group therapy twice a week for two hours, a twice a week intensive outpatient group, relapse prevention group, as well as a fresh start group where they go over and explain rules and regulations for the clinic.
The options offered are not an instant fix for these addictions. A full recovery is expected within two to three years from the start of treatment.
Ashley Smocheck from Freedom Healthcare said, “We look at the different domains in their [the patient’s] life; their drug and alcohol use, their family life, their supports, their physical health, their mental health, all these different domains in their lives.”
“I always tell them that once we get things stable, [that’s when] we can look at when you are ready to be decreased and start weaning [off of drugs],” she added.
The first year focuses mainly on getting the patient’s life to a more stable position, while in the second year it is directed at encouraging the patient to be able to make proactive decisions on their own while also incorporating the slow wean off drugs.
The clinic specializes in their options for treatments. They offer a suboxone, vivitrol, or a completely drug-free treatment. Suboxone is mainly used for opioid dependant addictions, vivitrol is aimed towards more opioid and alcohol addictions, and drug-free is geared towards addictions to drugs such as cocaine.
Suboxone is a long-lasting opioid that takes away the symptoms of withdrawal, but will not get the user high. It’s a drug that fills the receptors that are triggered by withdrawal.
“Withdrawal can feel like, at least from what I’ve seen, as incredible flu-like symptoms. [You feel] achy, chilled or cold, like you want to puke, so the only thing you want to do is not feel like that,” Farmer said.
He proceeded to add, “take people who have used heroin for a long time. They’re literally not getting high anymore, they’re just keeping themselves out of withdrawal.”
Vivitrol is prescribed as a monthly injection after someone has successfully completed a detox from other opioids.
“We want to let the community know that we’re doing some good work here,” Farmer concluded. “We’re helping people who need it, right at home.”
So far since I’ve been a patient @ Freedom the staff has been super-friendly and accommodating.