BHG Expands Opioid Treatment in RI, MD
DALLAS, Oct. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Responding to the continued public health crisis of opioid addiction in the United States, Behavioral Health Group (BHG), the largest network of Joint Commission-accredited outpatient opioid treatment and recovery centers in the US, today announced their expanding footprint in Rhode Island (RI) with the acquisition of all four opioid treatment programs (OTP's) owned by The Journey to Hope, Health & Healing, and their first location in Maryland with the acquisition of Phoenix Health Center.
Going forward the four Rhode Island locations will be known as BHG Providence Treatment Center, BHG Westerly Treatment Center, BHG Johnston Treatment Center, and BHG Middletown Treatment Center. These locations, jointly employing 65 clinicians, counselors, and staff, treat nearly 1,000 patients with opioid use disorder. Added to the existing BHG Pawtucket Treatment Center, this brings the number of BHG locations in RI to five.
The Phoenix Health Center will continue to run under its current name with its existing team of 22 clinicians, counselors, and staff treating more than 920 patients with opioid use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders. Phoenix Health Center includes both an opioid treatment program clinical model offering all three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder, and an office-based opioid treatment program enabling prescription-based medications. Located in the same facility, these programs combine to offer choice as best fits the clinical needs of each patient.
"Opioid addiction continues to ravage communities across the United States, exacerbated by the current coronavirus pandemic," said Jay Higham, Chief Executive Officer of BHG. "Our Company's mission is to expand access to evidence-based treatment in underserved markets across the United States." In these two states the need is pressing: A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that between 2017 and 2018 more than 135,000 adults in Rhode Island and Maryland reported needing but not receiving treatment for illicit drug use. In September 2021, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) noted that Rhode Island reported a 22.5% increase in drug overdose deaths over the past 12-month period and Maryland reported a 19.8% increase. Noted Higham, "The time for action is now. Lives are in the balance. Too many individuals, families, and communities need an immediate, proven solution. The opportunity to leverage existing treatment centers shortens our speed to market at a critical moment in this epidemic."
According to Ben Nordstrom, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer for BHG, "Our plan is to invest in these facilities to build out and implement BHG's proprietary Integrated Dynamic Care Model that employs the full spectrum of evidence-based medication, behavioral therapy and case management services in an outpatient setting. Our medical mission is to empower our patients to realize their best level of functioning in the community. Expanding access and the range of treatment services helps us meet the recovery needs of patients overcoming opioid use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders." Most importantly, noted Dr. Nordstrom, BHG's clinical care model enables recovery care teams to meet each patient where they are as a unique individual, providing dynamic, flexible treatment and ongoing care as their goals, motivations, and needs change on their personal path toward recovery. These medically proven programs demonstrate excellent results as measured by almost all objective criteria – abstinence from drug use, improvements in employment, family dynamics, and general well-being.
These locations accept Medicare, Medicaid, and multiple commercial insurance plans. BHG also welcomes patients who choose to self-pay, and State Opioid Response (SOR) grant funding may be available for qualified patients.
The four acquired properties in Rhode Island are: BHG Westerly Treatment Center, 86 Beach Street, Westerly, RI 02891; BHG Providence Treatment Center, 160 Narragansett Ave, Providence, RI 02907; BHG Johnston Treatment Center, 985 Plainfield Street, Johnston, RI 02919; and BHG Middletown Treatment Center, 26 Valley Road, Suite 202, Middletown, RI 02842. In Maryland, Phoenix Health Center sits at 217 East Antietam Street in Hagerstown.
About BHG
Behavioral Health Group (BHG) is the largest network of Joint Commission-accredited outpatient opioid treatment and recovery centers in the U.S., delivering comprehensive, personalized evidence-based medical and behavioral therapies for individuals with opioid use disorder. With 82 locations in 17 states, BHG has more than 1,380 employees who serve almost 30,000 patients. To learn more, visit bhgrecovery.com.
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SOURCE Behavioral Health Group
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