THE COST OF ADDICTION

An all-female rehabilitation center offers support and hope for women struggling with drug abuse.

BY JESS DEYO | PHOTO PROVIDED BY MORGAN HAAS

In 2017, Ohio had the second highest drug-overdose rate in the nation, averaging 39.2 deaths for every 1,000 residents. The explanation for the disastrous statistic may be tucked away in the empty pockets of the 13.9% of Ohio’s population living in poverty.

Drug abuse is known to cling to impoverished regions, and Athens is the poorest county in the state, with an alarming 30% of its population below the poverty line, according to the 2018 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE). Cathy Chelak of Athens Health Recovery Services [HRS] is aiming to put a stop to the drug use that is caused, in part, by the county’s lack of resources. She serves as the program director for the Rural Women’s Recovery Program, an allfemale in-house recovery program under the HRS located minutes from Ohio University.

The residential center houses a staff of nearly 25 people who are certified to treat both substance disorders and mental health disorders, Chelak says. Sitting on 40 acres of land and offering 17 beds, the center is ideal for women to get in touch with the mind, body and soul.

Athens is one of many counties in the state to have allwomen rehab facilities. According to studies, such as those funded by the Center on Addiction, women become addicted to drugs like cocaine, heroin and meth quicker than their male counterparts.

To be admitted to the residential center, Chelak says potential patients must satisfy a specific criteria listed in a diagnostic manual. The center has a high level of care that falls right below psychiatric hospitalization, and patients must prove that they are dependent on their drug of choice for such a facility.

Chelak, who is also the director of quality improvement

for HRS, agrees there is a correlation between drug use and poverty in Athens, saying the desire to use drugs stems from a lack of resources, motivation and ambition.

“The women that come into residential facility are using non-stop and pretty much dying as they’re using,” Chelak said. “Their bodies are deteriorating, often their mental status is declining and they’ve often also had really poor life goals and achievements throughout their life.”

Chelak says that Athens women have stressors in their lives and lack the coping skills that may prevent them from drug use. The temporary numbness received from a drug is used to cover up problems like financial instability or trauma, she says. The soothing effects of drugs can become so problematic that the only motivation to enter the rehab center is through ultimatums offered by probation officers, and the exchange often involves the opportunity to keep custody of children.

Over the nearly 30 years that Chelak has worked in the health profession, she is most shocked by the increased likelihood of a mother losing custody during their rehabilitation process.

“Way back in the day, if a woman had children, they would really sometimes help move her through going into recovery because she knew she was going to lose them,” Chelak says. “Now, women are losing most of their children.”

The center offers a program for women to bring their children if they are under five years old, but Chelak says the center has been silent with the absence of children today. Instead, she says, children are being placed with aunts, sisters or are taken by children’s services to be placed elsewhere.

“They’re all gone from those families and what’s going to happen? What’s that going to mean for the next generation? What’s that going to mean for those kids? How is it that

that’s going to work for those children?” Chelak asks.

She believes that—for many women—the realization that they have sold away much of their life is not made until they’ve gone through the process of withdrawal. The center is connected with a detox unit, where patients typically stay for three to eight days before receiving a bed in the facility. “After they are in our facility for a while and they start to withdraw and feel better, often they’ll be like, ‘I can’t believe that,’” Chelak says. “Often, they are depressed when they start looking at it and are unhappy, but then eventually they become more aware that something is out of kilter with how they’ve been living their life and they need to change that.” Patients stay at the center for an average stay of 120 days, but Chelak says the poverty-ridden area also opens the door for a higher relapse rate. Addicts are often missing elements like money (which can be a driving factor in preventing drug use) and the ability to work through a tough situation. Typically, the addicts’ relatives are in similar situations, she says.

While Chelak emphasizes the impacts of addiction on a poverty-ridden area, she recognizes middle and upper-class families may also have a relative suffer from addiction. Finances are not the only factor when it comes to drug use. People who suffer from trauma like sexual assault, abuse or natural disaster are also at a higher risk, she says.

Chelak says that one of the largest contributors to the massive opioid epidemic that has swept the nation is the over-prescription of pain killers.

“You hear certain sides of it, you see people craving drugs and being on the streets sleeping, but the reality is that being addicted can happen to anybody at any time,” she says. “As long as the right things fall into place, and the person is unaware — the person is vulnerable — it’s always a possibility.” b

PAYMENT CERTIFICATION

RWRP accepts Medicaid, HMO’s (Care Source, Molina and Unison) and private insurance to cover the costs of professional treatment services. RWRP has been certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Services (CARF).

12 STEPS

Patients will participate in several weekly 12-Step meetings in and outside of the facility.