"It's a very difficult chronic, lifelong condition. ![]() “As much as has changed, things have stayed the same,” Kerns said. While substance use trends, pervasiveness and treatment options change, much of what Serenity Lane offers has been constant, Kerns said. “It’s nice to see so many options that are compassionate and empathetic,” Smith said. While employers may have opted to ignore or punish substance use issues in the past, Smith has seen the beginning a shift to a more supportive approach. Past studies from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have estimated as many as 9% of full-time U.S. ![]() He provides information for employers and has found an eagerness for understanding, especially in a time when many companies struggle to have adequate staffing. He’s worked for the organization for nearly 20 years and is in recovery himself. In addition to rehab and support services, Serenity Lane provides free outreach to the community.ĭoug Smith is a community liaison for Serenity Lane. Some of the medications used in MAT programs include methadone and buprenorphine, which curb cravings without intoxicant effects. Medication-assisted treatment is the use of certain medications for the treatment of substance use disorders in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies. “But very few were able to tolerate the cravings they experienced while in treatment, so they left.” “Before medication assisted treatment became a practice about 20 years ago, people with an opioid use disorder would just try and white knuckle it through detox and the 30 or 40 days of residential care,” Kerns said. He said one of the biggest changes he’s seen since the center opened is the introduction of medication-assisted treatment. Pete Kerns, a former Eugene Police chief and son of co-founder Tom Kerns, is Serenity Lane’s president and CEO. What's changed since Serenity Lane opened 50 years ago? Between 20, alcohol-related deaths in Oregon grew by 73% and drug overdoses increased by 39%, according to Serenity Lane.Įxcessive alcohol use remains the third leading cause of preventable death among Oregonians and is responsible for over 2,000 deaths annually, according to the Oregon Health Authority. for alcohol use disorder and seventh for cocaine use. "We're going to be able to reach people that aren't close to our outpatient offices through telehealth services that we wouldn't have been able to reach before," Smith said.Addiction hasn’t become any easier to tackle. "It's forcing us as counselors to become stronger and better counselors, and when we get on the other side of this I think that's going to do nothing but help our patients," Smith said.Īnd on that "other side," both Kerns and Smith say telehealth has a promising future. Smith says patients have been adapting to the new platform, some even using it to support their peers outside of meetings. "And there's a little bit of an additional risk that patients can feel like their taking." "It's definitely an adjustment with doing this on a computer versus doing it in person," said Doug Smith, clinical director at Serenity Lane. To respect social distancing, the treatment center is also conducting their counseling sessions remotely - something privacy laws restricted until the COVID-19 pandemic. ![]() Patient beds have been halved to allow for distance new patients are isolated for 48 hours and new residential patients are told to stay in their rooms for two weeks.Įven visitors are required to answer a few questions and submit to a temperature check. ![]() Kerns says Serentiy Lane has implemented a lot of new safety precautions.
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