In planning for several months, Lancaster General Hospital will this month launch a Suboxone Clinic with the assistance of RASE, a regional organization established to facilitate counseling and treatment for heroin addicts.
In response to a NewsLanc inquiry, Alice Yoder, RN, Director Community Health, advises: “We are moving ahead with a one morning a week clinic beginning in July.”
One physician will be in attendance and will see approximately 12 patients at a session. Those accepted into the program will return to the clinic each week for the initial two to four weeks and then monthly thereafter.
Patients currently served by the designated physician(s) will have a choice of coming to the clinic.
The Lancaster Drug and Alcohol Authority estimates that there are 5,000 to 10,000 heroin addicts in the county. Approximately 300 are being treated at the methadone clinic. Perhaps another 300 are receiving Suboxone from private physicians. Hundreds more are seeking treatment but they cannot find a local physician willing to accept them as patients.
The General Hospital’s one-morning-a-week program will likely lead to about 50 addicts receiving treatment. Hopefully, the hospital will extend the hours later to help serve the much greater community need.
In response to the question of Lancaster General’s future intention, Yoder responded: “We plan to make sure our processes are in place at this time and have no current plans to expand the clinic.”
