DuBois, Pennsylvania, Nov. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In Southwestern Pennsylvania the journey to recovery from substance abuse often begins on the Seventh Floor of Penn Highlands Mon Valley in the CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit (SRU). The Unit is the only Level 4.0 inpatient withdrawal and treatment facility in Washington and Westmoreland counties. Since January 2024, the Unit has been treating people with substance use disorders who also have high-risk medical complexities such as cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, endocarditis and significant wounds.
“In addition to medical complexities, we treat biological, psychological, social and spiritual factors,” explained Justin Panepinto, Clinical Supervisor of the CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit. “Our holistic therapeutic program emphasizes a patient-centered, trauma- informed approach. Our staff is empathetic to the traumas that led to the substance use disorder providing empathy, support, encouragement and empowerment in the patient’s recovery journey.”
Patients are admitted to the Unit from the Emergency Department at Penn Highlands Mon Valley where they are screened and cleared for treatment. They also are admitted from their physicians’ offices and from other area hospitals. The SRU provides 14 private and spacious rooms with medical hospital beds, two ADA rooms and two isolation/negative pressure rooms. Patients have 24-hour access to the Penn Highlands Mon Valley hospitalists, Emergency Department, Cardiac Care Unit, Behavioral Health Unit, Medical Imaging and Lab. Once the patient begins to receive medical withdrawal management on the SRU, it can last from four to seven days. The average rehabilitation length of stay there is from 14 to 28 days.
For some people it takes multiple attempts at recovery before they complete their journey. According to Kelly Macheska, RN, BSN, Unit Director of the CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit, they have had patients who had more than one admission to the Unit who maintain that they would not seek treatment at any other facility.
“In our efforts to continuously improve our program, we built a discharge survey similar to those patients receive from Press Ganey and HCAHPS to measure their satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the program,” Kelly explained. “Our patients are very appreciative of the care they receive and rate us above all other rehab programs. We attribute our success with the fact that we deliver care with dignity and respect while offering hope and encouragement.”
For more information, visit www.phhealthcare.org/substancerecovery.
- Penn Highlands Healthcare CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit