Porter-Starke Services, a not-for-profit Community Mental Health Center, opened a new Recovery Center location to offer medication-assisted treatment in April 2020, during Indiana’s stay-at-home orders. Six months later, a small, private ribbon cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the community and statewide collaboration that was required to begin offering this form of treatment to those with opioid use disorder in La Porte and the surrounding community.
Douglas Huntsinger, the Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement and Senior Advisor to Governor Eric J. Holcomb, traveled from Indianapolis to tour the facility and commend the partner organizations for opening the clinic amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Governor Eric Holcomb and I thank Porter-Starke Services, Swanson Center and the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte for helping move us closer to our goal of placing an opioid treatment center within an hour’s drive of every Hoosier,” said Huntsinger. “As Hoosiers work to recover from this disease, it is extremely important that we continue to expand access to the full continuum of care for substance use disorder in Indiana, including access to medication for opioid use disorder.”
Medication-assisted treatment combines medication, counseling and support to treat opioid use disorder. Recovery Center La Porte specializes in methadone services for clients under the supervision of Recovery Center Medical Director, Dr. Sajiv John.
“Comprehensive treatment of opioid use has to be collaborative,” said Dr. John, who also credited the State of Indiana for expanding access to treatment for individuals covered by Medicaid.
“We are grateful that the State has been so supportive,” said Dan Peck, Executive Director & CEO of Swanson Center, which is located directly next door and provides counseling and other behavioral health services.
Matt Burden, President/CEO of Porter-Starke Services, also thanked those in attendance. “Everyone here has had a key role in the opening of this facility,” Burden said. “I especially want to thank all of you who have never stopped working to provide services throughout this pandemic…you never missed a beat.”
Maria Fruth, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte, was also in attendance at the event. Recovery Center La Porte was possible due to $488,000 in financial assistance from the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte, which had previously commissioned a study on the crisis at the local level and determined the need to increase access to this form of treatment.
Recovery Center La Porte is Indiana’s newest certified Opioid Treatment Program and has received approvals from the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
“Because of COVID, there has been so much anxiety and so much stress. Thank you to all of our mental health professionals,” said Dr. Vidya Kora, Vice President of the La Porte County Commissioners.
Recovery Center La Porte is located at 1230 W. State Rd. 2 and is accepting new clients. For more information or to begin treatment, call 219.476.4520.
