The funds will go directly to Family Service’s Center of Excellence
The Times
TODAY, Inc., a local provider of behavioral health services, recently granted $10,000 to Family Service Association of Bucks County, a non-profit organization that served more than 26,000 people last year.
For nearly 65 years, Family Service has been helping children and families improve their lives, doing whatever it takes to help them overcome obstacles and reach their full potential. The organization provides mental health treatment, recovery support, emergency shelter, parent education, suicide prevention services and more. The funds from TODAY, Inc. will go directly to Family Service’s Center of Excellence.
Last fall, Governor Tom Wolf named Family Service as one of 50 Centers of Excellence across Pennsylvania. Centers of Excellence help ensure that people with opioid-related substance use disorders stay in treatment, receive follow-up care and are supported within their communities.
In 2016 (the latest year for which data is available), there were 2,235 opioid-related overdose deaths in Pennsylvania — a rate of 18.5 deaths per 100,000 persons — compared to the national average of 13.3 deaths per 100,000 persons, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
No portion of our community is immune from the devastation caused by the opioid epidemic.
“Addiction does not discriminate. Lives are shattered without regard to income, race, ethnicity, gender or educational attainment,” shared Marlene Piasecki, interim chief executive officer at Family Service. “And the road to recovery is not an easy one. We meet clients where they are — in an emergency room, at a rehabilitation facility, in their home or on the street — and we do whatever it takes to prevent them from becoming a casualty of this tragic epidemic.”
Family Service’s Center of Excellence team consists of care coordinators, certified recovery specialists, and a registered nurse who work with clients to get their lives back on track and to help them achieve their goals. Team members provide a warm handoff from one treatment provider or level of care to another, and they help clients connect to other supports and resources. Family Service offers medication-assisted treatment when applicable, and the agency assists clients with obtaining insurance, finding supportive housing and addressing other life needs.
John Howell, executive director of TODAY, Inc. states: “The goal of our grant program is to successfully address health needs in Bucks County by providing assistance to worthwhile endeavors within in our community. Care coordination is an immensely helpful tool in recovery, and we are proud to partner with Family Service to help address the opioid addiction epidemic in Bucks County.”
Family Service’s Center of Excellence serves adults, ages 18 and older, who have an Opioid Use Disorder or who are actively using opioids and who have (or are eligible for) Medicaid. If you or your loved one needs help, call 215.757.6916, ext. 150 to access services.
