Recovery Centers of America Issues Statement Regarding Governor Wolf's Declaration of Statewide Heroin and Opioid Disaster Emergency

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Jan. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recovery Centers of America (RCA), an addiction treatment provider focused on saving one million lives, applauds Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's declaration of a statewide disaster emergency to reduce the number of overdose deaths associated with heroin and opioid abuse. 

"We are pleased to see Governor Wolf take such decisive action to stem the tide of the heroin and opioid epidemic," says Dr. Deni Carise, Chief Scientific Officer at Recovery Centers of America.  "As a leading addiction treatment provider with operations in the Pennsylvania, we are intimately familiar with the urgency required to respond to opioid overdoses and the need for ongoing treatment across the commonwealth. We are encouraged to see continued collaboration among state agencies under the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency."

"Additionally, the expanded availability of Naloxone for EMS and families of loved ones suffering from substance use disorders is critical to saving lives.  Broader access to medication-assisted treatments (MAT) gives patients a chance to pursue long-term treatment solutions which are widely recognized as important to a successful recovery."

Carise noted that the emergency declaration has limitations, "The initiative is important in addressing the prevalence of overdose deaths (over 66,000 last year), however it is limited in duration and treatment options are primarily directed only toward one type of treatment. It does not speak to broader substance abuse and mental health services to address issues that often underlie addiction. Naloxone will treat the overdose, but it doesn't treat the addiction. If you don't follow up with long-term treatment, then you are missing an important piece."

About Recovery Centers of America
Recovery Centers of America is on a mission to save one million lives – one neighborhood at a time – by helping individuals suffering from substance use disorders enter treatment and long-term, meaningful recovery. RCA's vision is to make treatment for addiction and other mental health disorders as affordable and accessible as any other disease. With world-class education and clinical treatment through various inpatient and outpatient facilities in New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, every RCA patient is given the highest standard of care and is treated with dignity and respect close to where they live and work.

For more information, visit www.RecoveryCentersofAmerica.com or call 1-800-RECOVERY.

RCA Company Contact: 
Rich Smith, Chief Marketing Officer 
rsmith@recoverycoa.com

RCA Media Contact:
Tony DeFazio, DeFazio Communications, LLC.
Ph: 484-410-1354 
tony@defaziocommunications.com 

SOURCE Recovery Centers of America