Drug treatment center expands service

SEPTA touts use of opioid inhibitor Naltrexone as an affordable alternative

One of the alternate sentencing options for the judicial system in southeastern Ohio has expanded its ability to treat offenders suffering from addiction.

SEPTA -- Southeastern Probation Treatment Alternative in Nelsonville -- began this month to offer treatment with the opioid uptake inhibitor Naltrexone. The drug prevents the "high" feeling from use of heroin, oxycontin and other opioids, mitigates withdrawal symptoms but is not addictive .

SEPTA director Scott Weaver said the introduction of Naltrexone adds another element to the treatment array at the facility.

"It gives us one more tool for treating substance abuse," Weaver said. "It's an affordable option in pill form, and those who go through the program can be transferred to Hopewell on release and be given the timed-release injectable form, Vivitrol."

Hopewell Health Centers provides an array of health care services, including mental health, counseling and addiction treatment, based in Athens with 16 locations in eight counties of southeastern Ohio.

Weaver said the program will be a staged effort. The first phase, which started this month, will offer the treatment to clients who are from Athens County. In late January or early February, treatment will be offered to clients from the other counties served by Hopewell -- Hocking, Jackson, Meigs, Perry, Ross, Vinton and Washington -- and in early spring, the remaining SEPTA area, he said.

"It is a relatively straightforward component of the program," he said. "Once the individual is assessed to be medically appropriate, then it becomes a supplement to the program that includes cognitive behavior therapy" and other elements, Weaver said.

Naltrexone is relatively benign in terms of side effects, but it cannot be prescribed to anyone with liver damage.

"Assuming the individual can tolerate the drug, the treatment can continue for some time," he said. "One of the biggest obstacles is pre-program liver damage."

Naltrexone is also used in treatment of alcohol abuse and, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, can be used almost indefinitely by patients. The restriction on liver-damaged patients is significant, however, because drug and alcohol abuse over an extended period of time injures the liver and may rule out Naltrexone as a treatment. It is viewed by the treatment community as having advantages over buprenorphine and methadone because it has "no abuse or diversion potential."

A drawback for those who relapse after Naltrexone therapy is that the drug reduces the tolerance level for opioids, making accidental overdosing easier, according to SAMHA.

Residents at SEPTA undergo six months of treatment as part of their sentences. They can be referred by prosecutors, defense attorneys and community control officers, Weaver said, "any of the court personnel."

The Naltrexone treatment is inexpensive, he said, with the pill form costing $4 to $6 a day per patient.

The facility is built to house 112 residents. Weaver said Tuesday that it held 96, with six of those from Washington County. The county, he said, has referred nine people for treatment this fiscal year, which began in June.

Washington County Prosecutor Kevin Rings said the decision to refer an offender to SEPTA or another alternative sentencing program is often collaborative one.

"It usually comes from a courtroom meeting with the judge and the defense attorney," Rings said. "We look at what's a good alternative, what skills does this person need, does this person not have a high school diploma, because SEPTA can help with that," he said. "It's surprising how many people can benefit from training that just instills in them the need to show up at work every day."

And the candidates, of course, have to be suitable for a minimum security facility and they must volunteer for the program.

Weaver credited the Athens County Prosecutor, Keller Blackburn, with bringing the elements of the program together. Blackburn, according to his office's Facebook page, successfully oversaw a Vivitrol program that graduated 33 people in June with the participation of Hopewell. It was the first prosecutorial-based Vivitrol program in the state, the page said.

"He was the catalyst," Weaver said. "He brought the medically assisted treatment to the table and worked it out."

"We feel really fortunate that we had this confluence, everybody coming together to make it happen, and it happened relatively fast," Weaver said. "It's another really good option for our clients."

At a glance

About SEPTA

¯ Southeastern Probation Treatment Alternative.

¯ Capacity for 112 residents.

¯ Clients referred by judicial system.

¯ Serves Athens, Perry, Meigs, Morgan, Vinton, Hocking, Jackson, Ross and Washington counties.

¯ Residential addiction treatment for offenders.