Addiction Treatment Services in Traverse City provides all levels of care, from withdrawal management to recovery housing.
Their services are on a roll by taking their mobile unit on the road.
“For those with substance use disorder, they deserve to receive treatment and a nice environment with non-judgmental folks,” said Lesley Telfor, Nursing Supervisor for Addiction Treatment Services.
The mobile unit is just like the non-profit’s health clinic but on wheels.
“There’s a bathroom right on the mobile unit, an exam room at the rear of the mobile unit with a portable exam table,” explained Telfor. “There are doors so that there’s privacy when they’re meeting with someone.”
People can get on-location treatment for substance abuse, peer support services and connection to outreach programs.
“Vivitrol injections are just one of the options we have as far as medication-assisted treatment,” said Telfor. “Vivitrol specifically works with the receptors in your brain. Vivitrol can be used for both alcohol and opiate addiction, so it works with the receptors on your brain to black out essentially the reward system; the good feeling you get when you use alcohol or opiates, the Vivitrol blocks that. So it takes away the cravings.”
“I’m in recovery myself, so it’s easier for the other people struggling to talk with me because they know I’ve been through it and can relate with what they’re going through,” added Mckenzie Gunderson, peer recovery coach for Addiction Treatment Services.
The goal is to bring their services to underserved areas.
I feel you’ll talk to a lot of people, and they really want to engage in recovery and the things that will help them with sustained recovery, but there are barriers to them receiving care,” said Telfor. “Maybe they don’t have a vehicle to get to Traverse City. Maybe they don’t have the financial means.
Every Tuesday, the Addiction Treatment Services mobile unit is in Cadillac in the District Health Department #10 parking lot.
The mobile unit will be parked in Kalkaska near the clock tower every Wednesday.
