People addicted to prescription pain medication and heroin do not always seek out treatment; sometimes the treatment has to be brought to their attention. That\u2019s why teams of New Season employees across the U.S. get out into their communities, educating the public about the effectiveness of methadone treatment to remedy opioid abuse disease.<\/p>\n
In the recent weeks, clinicians and support staff from New Season have participated in four groundbreaking events that have educated and informed their communities in a hands-on and practical effort.<\/p>\n
Read on for detailed information and key takeaways from each engagement.<\/p>\n
Hepatitis Awareness Event in Orlando, Fla.<\/strong><\/p>\n New Season hosted a hepatitis awareness event May 11 at the Orlando Methadone Treatment Center<\/a> in recognition of Hepatitis Awareness Month. Nurses specialized in the disease state from the Florida Department of Health were on-site to administer complimentary hepatitis C tests and cost-free vaccinations.<\/p>\n Clinicians and staff members from the Orlando-based New Season methadone clinic were on hand to educate their patients and the community about hepatitis, a disease that causes inflammation of the liver. Toxins, certain drugs, heavy alcohol use, bacterial and viral infections can all cause hepatitis. Many forms of hepatitis are preventable and can be treated if detected early.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile many intravenous drug users are well aware of the risks involved with sharing needles, many may not be aware of the risks involved with sharing equipment. Other conditions, such as alcohol addiction and mental illness, also appear in high numbers among people who engage in injection drug use,\u201d David Cartagena, the program director of the New Season methadone clinic in Orlando, Fla., said.<\/p>\n More than 60 percent of all new cases of Hepatitis C infection result from injection drug use. Infection occurs within six to 12 months of the initial injection in the majority of cases.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to share this information with our patients and their families to create awareness and to promote safety,\u201d Cartagena said.<\/p>\n The Orlando-based New Season team that treats more than 1,170 patients \u201cprovided guidance on how to get treatment and offer support to those who are suffering from this condition,\u201d Cartagena said.<\/p>\n While the primary service that New Season provides is methadone treatment, the total force is dedicated to treating the many other facets that affect opioid use disorder victims.<\/p>\n [sep]<\/p>\n U.S. Military Civil Affairs Exercise in Savannah, Ga.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Savannah, Georgia-based methadone clinic at New Season<\/a> joined forces with the U.S. military and St. Joseph\u2019s\/Candler Health System May 10 to participate in Operation Empower Health<\/a> in Savannah, Ga. The military-led exercise provided no-cost healthcare treatment to the community attendees, including medical, dental, vision and veterinary services in four key locations throughout the region.<\/p>\n \u201cThe majority of people in Chatham County and the surrounding counties have gainful employment, but some of the employed have poor health insurance with high deductibles or no insurance at all, leaving families to sacrifice their personal health with undiagnosed medical problems. This event allowed many members of our community to have their medical concerns addressed at a one-stop shop,\u201d said Crystal Malloy, the program director for the New Season methadone clinic in Savannah, Ga.<\/p>\n New Season deployed clinicians and staffers to support the event on various days throughout the exercise. The full exercise occurred May 10-18 in four locations: Savannah Civic Center, 301 W. Oglethorpe Avenue; Georgia Southern University \u2013 Armstrong Campus, University Hall, 11935 Abercorn Street; Garden City Recreational Department, 160 Priscilla D. Thomas Road; Savannah State University, Social Sciences Building, 3219 College Street.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand that mental health and substance abuse are highly correlated,\u201d\u00a0Malloy said. \u201cOur participation in this event provided education and awareness to the stigma of addiction in society. We also screened interested participants for mental health concerns, substance abuse and addiction needs.\u201d<\/p>\n The healthcare fair, an effort sponsored by the Department of Defense\u2019s Innovative Readiness Training<\/a>, also offered uniformed personnel real-life deployment training by addressing civil-society needs.<\/p>\n \u201cNew Season is proud to serve alongside the U.S. military and prominent medical systems and universities in the area to become a staple resource in our community,\u201d Malloy said.<\/p>\n The partnership is important now more than ever as opioid drug abuse has killed more Americans than the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars combined.<\/p>\n [sep]<\/p>\n Mental Health and Addiction Awareness Fiesta in San Antonio, Texas<\/strong><\/p>\n During National Mental Health Month, both<\/a> of the San Antonio, Texas-based New Season teams participated in the Mental Health and Addiction Awareness Fiesta<\/a> May 5. The event educated individuals in the community about mental health, addiction and recovery issues.<\/p>\n The New Season representatives made key relationships at the event with local elected officials, mental health experts and treatment professionals in order to maintain their prominence as the leading methadone clinic in opioid use disorder treatment and recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are all very excited about these new connections we\u2019ve made and the opportunities that lie ahead,\u201d Cynthia Luna, regional director of the New Season Treatment Centers in the Gulf Region, said.<\/p>\n New Season was one of approximately 40 vendors who exhibited at the event. The other exhibitors included insurance companies, health and wellness groups, addiction treatment centers and mental health treatment organizations.<\/p>\n The event was hosted by the San Antonio College Human Services Addiction Counseling Program in conjunction with the Bexar County Felony Drug Court<\/a>. The symposium was also sponsored by the Volunteer Services Council of the San Antonio State Hospital, a non-profit organization that covers rehabilitation and therapeutic services to enhance the wellbeing of individuals being treated at the hospital.<\/p>\n [sep]<\/p>\n National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in Meridian, Miss.<\/strong><\/p>\n New Season teammates from the Meridian Treatment Center<\/a> in Mississippi participated in National Drug Take Back Day<\/a> April 28 at the Bonita Lakes Mall.<\/p>\n \u201cOur Meridian team is building some great alliances and strong networks. We will continue to become more involved in our community,\u201d Cynthia Luna, regional director of the New Season Treatment Centers in the Gulf Region, said.<\/p>\n To show support of the law enforcement personnel who volunteered to run the event, Meridian-based New Season employees provided goody bags to the officers that included a water bottle, snack bar, baked chips and an apple.<\/p>\n \u201cThe officers were very appreciative of our goody bags,\u201d Luna said. \u201cI am very proud of how quickly our team came together and pulled this off.\u00a0 They did a great job!\u201d<\/p>\n [sep]<\/p>\n New Season understands that treating patients with opioid use disorder takes much more than administering methadone to maintain the recovery process. New Season clinicians and staffers take an active role in their past, present and future patients\u2019 lives to ensure they are given the best chance at addiction recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" People addicted to prescription pain medication and heroin do not always seek out treatment; sometimes the treatment has to be brought to their attention. That\u2019s why teams of New Season…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":2044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[19,21,51,55],"yoast_head":"\r\n