Treatment providers Tuesday confirmed the strike, which began at 12:01 a.m. Monday, is keeping some from appointments they say are necessary to help users stay clean.
“It’s going to undo a lot of hard work that we’ve been doing with people and a lot of progress we’ve made fighting opiate addiction,” said Richard Confer, chief financial officer at Recovery Works Healing Center.
On the first day of the strike, attendance was down 20-25 percent at Recovery Works’ locations in Vandalia and West Carrollton, Confer said.
The strike adds one more stressor on those already facing an uphill battle, said Wendie Jackson, community outreach manager at Cornerstone Project, a treatment provider with two locations in Dayton and one in Centerville. A center in Springfield is unaffected by the strike.
“It’s one more thing that’s gone wrong for them. That’s what we’re worried about,” Jackson said. “If they can’t see the doctor, they won’t get their medication. Especially if they are a new client, you have the fear of relapse.”
A client could return to the street if they forego individual or group therapy sessions and miss daily doses of medication-assisted treatments that fend off cravings, Confer said.
“They’re going to start facing withdrawal,” Confer said. “They’re going to begin to crave the drug of choice again, which would predominately be the opiate heroin.”
Rides for Medicaid-approved appointments
If you are a Montgomery County resident who receives a bus pass to get to Medicaid-approved appointments, a plan has been set up to help during the RTA strike. You are asked to call (937) 225-5419 and select option #1 to speak with a transportation scheduler. Curb-to-curb cab service will be arranged. Per current rules, all trips should be requested at least five business days prior to the appointment.
Source: Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services
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