January is a time when many people choose to focus on their health and wellness. For many people, addressing their addiction is a large part of it.
Avenues Recovery Center’s Outreach coordinator for the state of Indiana, Nicole Smigielski, chatted with Caroline Klapp from local news station WNDU. She shared information about substance abuse disorder, its treatment, and Avenues’ newest facility serving South Bend, Indiana.
Nicole shared that Avenues Recovery Center at South Bend has a 120-bed capacity, but their current census is 15 patients. They are implementing a gradual census growth so as not to overwhelm the staff or lower the quality of patient care. They plan to grow slowly but steadily so that everything can go as smoothly as possible – and so far, it has.
She also explained that when overcoming drug or alcohol addiction, sometimes people need to be in a dedicated space to focus on themselves and their healing.
“Often it’s too hard to do it at home – the detox process, the maintenance… Your surroundings might not be conducive to recovery. You need some time off of work, you need some time to focus on you. We give our clients that time. It’s all about them when they are with us,” said Nicole.
Nicole mentioned that this is not Avenues Recovery Center’s first location in Indiana – they already operate 3 other facilities in the cities of Fort Wayne, Clarksville, and Indianapolis. Avenues also has facilities in 6 other states.
For people who think Avenues may be a good fit for them, Nicole suggests calling their admissions team at 866-794-9918. They are available 24/7, and will perform an immediate phone assessment and advise as to what your next step should be.
Avenues accepts Medicaid, commercial insurance, and private pay.
Some advice for people who are afraid to get help? “Just call. Take that first step and call, as hard as that is,” advises Nicole. “That first step of reaching out is oftentimes the hardest, but once you get past that you walk through the doors. Once you come through the doors, you are greeted by staff. You are greeted by fellow clients who are in a better space than when they came in. All of that is to assist you, to help you feel the love and know that you can do it because so many others have.
There are not many inpatient addiction treatment resources in the South Bend-Mishawaka area, so the opening of this new facility represents an invaluable resource for the local community.
“Avenues at South Bend has 120 beds, bringing the Avenues Indiana bed total to 455. All of those beds can be filled. So, the chances are that no matter where you are located, chances are we can have a bed for you.”