Akron residents struggling with addiction have an additional option for recovery. BrightView Health has opened an outpatient treatment center in the city to further address the opioid epidemic in Northeast Ohio.
The facility offers medication-assisted treatment, individual and group therapy and social support.
Carl Knorr, a peer recovery supporter, says BrightView’s philosophy is to "treat the whole person" by offering specialized care for each patient.
“At the very least, we’ll be able to help with the sheer volume issues," he says. "So many of the local clinics are just overwhelmed that people have to wait two weeks to get in, and at that point, who knows if they’re even going to be alive anymore because you never know what’s in your next bag.”
Knorr says he draws on his own 25-year struggle with alcoholism to counsel patients. (He has been in recovery for five years.)
"I talk them through their experiences," he says. "I talk them through early recovery, which tends to be very difficult. I tend to be insanely honest about it. I let them know, 'Yeah, this is going to suck for a bit.' But once you get through it, you're through it."
The treatment center accepts Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance.
BrightView has a 24-hour access line at 1-833-510-HELP (4357). Assistance is also available at brightviewhealth.com.
This is BrightView’s 11th location in Ohio.