Bakersfield, CA – March 22, 2022 – Aegis Treatment Centers, the largest outpatient treatment provider in California for opioid addiction, has opened its third opioid treatment program in Bakersfield. The new center is located at 6001 Truxtun Ave, Suite 100 & 110. Aegis also operates treatment centers on 21st and Columbus streets, both in Bakersfield.
The Truxtun Avenue location is Aegis’ 39th program in the state and fourth in Kern County where it will serve adult residents of Bakersfield and surrounding areas.
Owned by Pinnacle Treatment Centers, a leading drug and alcohol addiction treatment services provider headquartered in New Jersey, Aegis continues to expand its presence throughout California, driven by Pinnacle’s mission to make recovery possible by transforming lives, communities and the families with treatment that works.
“The past two years have been extremely difficult on everyone, and especially those already struggling with addiction. We’re committed to doing everything we can to provide affordable, accessible care to those who need it most,” said Joe Pritchard, CEO, Pinnacle Treatment Centers, a U.S. Navy veteran who made his own personal journey through recovery 47 years ago and is sharing his story next month at the Battleship USS Iowa in Los Angeles at a recovery community event.
The nation’s drug overdose epidemic continues to evolve and worsen. According to the American Medical Association, one prevailing theme is the fact that the epidemic now is driven by illicit fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, methamphetamine, and cocaine, often in combination or in adulterated forms.
In November of 2021, the Centers for Disease Control reported drug overdose deaths in the U.S. surpassed 100,000 in a 12-month period for the first time. California saw a 47.8 percent increase in overdose deaths and ranked seventh in the country in seeing the most increase, per a national news outlet.
The nationwide snapshot is mirrored locally in places like Kern County, where local law enforcement agencies said they were already seeing more overdoses in 2021 than before, the majority caused by fentanyl.
Aegis Treatment Centers provides medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including FDA-approved medicines methadone and buprenorphine (Suboxone), to curb withdrawal symptoms from heroin and opioid addiction; prevent relapse; and quell the physical discomfort that frequently accompanies recovery from opioid use disorder. In addition to medication, individual and group counseling is offered as part of a whole-patient approach to care.
Research shows that the combination of both behavioral and pharmacologic therapy is the most effective approach to overcoming opioid addiction and is considered the gold standard of treatment.
Core clinical services at the Truxtun Avenue center include assessment; education about substance use disorders; individualized treatment planning; and patient-centered individual and group counseling. In addition, peer-based support will be integrated into programming.
Aegis on Truxtun Avenue will eventually accept Medi-Cal, Medicare, and commercial insurance. For now, it offers reasonable self-pay rates. The center is open weekdays, 5:00 am – 1:30 pm, and on weekends from 7 – 10 am. Individuals interested in accessing treatment can call 661-218-2108 for a free confidential consultation.
Plans are underway to open more treatment centers throughout the state to address the growing need.
About Pinnacle Treatment Centers
Headquartered in New Jersey, Pinnacle Treatment Centers is a recognized leader in comprehensive drug and alcohol addiction treatment serving nearly 35,000 patients daily in California (Aegis Treatment Centers), Georgia (HealthQwest), Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. With more than 125 community-based locations, Pinnacle provides a full continuum of quality care including medically-monitored detoxification/withdrawal management, residential treatment, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programming with supportive housing, general outpatient services, and outpatient opioid addiction treatment. For more information, visit pinnacletreatment.com.