New center to serve local community with comprehensive care
Catholic Health announced today that Sisters of Charity Hospital has opened Sisters Health Center Amherst, an outpatient substance use disorder treatment center. Located at 210 John Glenn Drive in the Audubon Industrial Park, the center will provide holistic, evidence-based care, offering counseling services, primary care, and medication assisted treatment in a safe and secure, professional medical office setting.
The serious opiate crisis, which has affected the Town of Amherst like every other community in Western New York, points to the growing need for these critical treatment services. Currently, Sisters Hospital operates one treatment center, Pathways, in the city of Buffalo. The site serves nearly 700 patients each day, many from Buffalo’s suburban communities, and has a continual waiting list. The new center will provide treatment services to patients living in Amherst and other neighboring communities.
“Many of these patients visit our Buffalo center every day as part of their treatment plan and we wanted to create a more comprehensive care model that allows them to receive treatment in their own community,” said Marty Boryszak, President & CEO of Sisters of Charity Hospital. “Families are in desperate need of these critical services and we want to help as many as we can by providing services needed to lead healthy, productive lives.”
Sisters Health Center Amherst is part of Catholic Health’s range of inpatient and outpatient substance use treatment services, which offer confidential and compassionate care at various locations throughout Western New York including St. Vincent Health Center in Buffalo, Clearview Treatment Services in Lewiston, and Pathways in Buffalo and Rochester. Catholic Health sees the most Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) patients outside of New York City. The new Amherst location will dispense methadone as part of a comprehensive treatment program. Similar to a doctor’s office, patients receive treatment, whether it be counseling, medication services or primary care, by appointment only.
“Most of our patients are working individuals, parents or students, who need help getting their lives back on track. Methadone maintenance is the gold standard treatment for opiate addiction and the best hope for many patients suffering from this disease,” said Dr. Paul Updike, Medical Director, STAR Pathways.
“Our hope is that moving forward, we can continue to dispel the outdated misconceptions and stereotypes that still exist regarding methadone treatment and help the public understand that this evidenced-based care is helping many individuals break the cycle of addiction.”
“In 2017 Erie County experienced a 17% decrease in opioid related overdose deaths”, said Dr. Gale Burstein, Erie County Commissioner of Health. “As of September 13, 2018, there have been 96 confirmed and 86 suspected opioid overdoses so far this year. Evidenced-based MAT with either methadone or Suboxone® is an important, long term, opioid overdose prevention strategy for people struggling with the chronic disease of opioid addiction and has substantially contributed to saving lives. Offering MAT near where people live and work will reduce barriers to care and help bring Erie County overdose numbers down even further.”
“Our goal is to make this center a model for other communities by helping those who are suffering from chemical dependency receive holistic, medically-proven care all under one roof and close to home,” said Mark Sullivan, President and CEO of Catholic Health. Sullivan continued, “We are committed to fight this crisis in our community and are confident this center will help us reverse a trend that is claiming the lives of all too many of our family members, friends and neighbors.”