We were excited to officially mark the opening of Hazleton Treatment Services, our opioid addiction treatment center in Hazleton, PA. Special thanks to our speakers: Bill Richards, District Director for State Senator John T. Yudichak; Ryan Hogan, Drug and Alcohol Administrator, Luzerne County; and Beth Orr, Associate Regional Director, Community Care Behavioral Health Organization; and guest Mayor Jeff Cusat and so many others for their support.
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Methadone clinic opens in Hazleton
By Amanda Christman Staff Writer | Sep 14, 2021
From left, Carl Kelley, Candice Bollick, Melissa Banaszek, and Rheannon McClintic hold candles during a ceremony to mark National Sober Day and the grand opening of the Hazleton Treatment Services on Tuesday.
Photo: John Haeger | Staff Photographer
HAZLETON — Staring into the orange flame of a white memorial candle, each of them fell silent, remembering those who couldn’t find a way out of addiction.
But it wasn’t only a candlelit vigil that drew nearly two dozen people to Hazleton Treatment Services, 534 W. Broad St., on Tuesday. They also celebrated people in recovery and the grand opening of the facility.
The treatment center, which administers methadone and Suboxone, opened in June. It took nearly three years for Pinnacle to find a location in Hazleton and to renovate the building to their needs.
Together, community members and staff cut the ceremonial red ribbon on National Sober Day during National Recovery Month.
Only open for three months, Hazleton Treatment Services amassed 70 patients at the location, said Christopher White of Pinnacle Treatment Centers, which operates the facility.
“That’s why we’re here today,” he said.
Ryan Hogan of the Luzerne County Drug and Alcohol Program said those patients are the first of others who will seek help from the treatment center, which fills a void in Greater Hazleton. For a while, Hogan said, Southern Luzerne County needed additional treatment services and with the addition of Hazleton Treatment Services, the area is getting the care it deserves.
Candice Bollick, executive director of the Hazleton site, said the center is a community effort. Before opening their doors, stakeholders found people passed out on sidewalks. Now they get daily calls from people seeking help.
The facility doesn’t exist to be an enemy to the area, instead it’s here to help, she said. Anyone is welcome to come to the center with questions or concerns, she said.
Bill Richards from the office of state Sen. John Yudichak, I-14, Swoyersville, said the treatment center will not only serve the Hazleton area but parts of Schuylkill and Carbon counties.
Treatment brings hope to clients but it also brings peace of mind to their families, said Richards who has a family member in treatment.
Richards said people don’t realize how much addiction affects the family.
Carl Kelley, regional director for Pinnacle of Eastern Pennsylvania, said addiction touches so many families.
“It affects everybody,” Kelley said.
Kelley was excited to have the day to celebrate people’s decisions to move forward in sobriety. That decision “is a huge challenge,” Kelley said.
“It’s a very courageous decision,” he said.
Kelley also had kind words for the staff who is challenged with important work.
“These guys are the unsung heroes,” he said.
The grand opening included guided tours, past the front desk, a secure methadone room, nurses stations and administrative offices. Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat and Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce President Mary Malone were among those attending.
The outpatient facility, which serves adults, administers Federal Drug Administration-approved medicine to curb withdrawal symptoms and relapse from heroin/fentanyl and pain pill addiction. Individual and group counseling, family counseling, relapse prevention and specialized programs for pregnant women are also offered.
Pinnacle has facilities across the state and nation and has a wide range of services and resources to pull from including residential sober living.
Contact the writer: achristman@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3584