Updated: Jan. 26, 2024
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The Denver Rescue Mission is working with Porch Light Health to open a new clinic on Tuesday for opioid addiction treatment.
The Denver rescue mission is changing its philosophy when it comes to drug addiction. Denver Seven’s Veronica Acosta joins us live now. And Veronica, this new policy comes as a new opioid addiction clinic opens today as well. How will this help this very bad problem?
Well, for decades, the Denver Rescue Mission, they operated as an abstinence facility. So that meant there was no use of any kind of substance is while someone was going through recovery. But now they’re changing things up a little bit with the help of medical professionals who can really oversee addiction medicine. Those medical professionals, they come from porch light clinic. That’s going to be one of the new clinics that’s opening up in Denver today. Both the new clinic and the change in method at Denver Rescue mission, they really aim to help people dealing with opioid addiction, from prescription painkillers to street drugs like heroin and fentanyl. People who are struggling with alcohol addiction can also get help through the medical-assisted treatment program. The clinical director for Denver’s rescue mission told me changing the strategy could help get more people off the streets and into recovery.
We’re trying to lower barriers. We’re trying not to have lists. We’re trying to get people off the street. We’re working with folks that before we’d say you’re not ready. This is just another strategy that is really helpful, and it’s opening up the possibility of recovery to people who might not have been considering it.
And, Nicole, as far as that new clinic that’s opening up today goes, they’re going to be able to help people with opioid use disorders there, as well as behavioral issues and any psychiatric needs they might have as well.
A lot of that going hand in hand together. Thank you, Veronica.
