By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
The gray building tucked neatly on the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services does not appear to be anything unique, but what it offers to those with a substance use disorder is a bridge from addiction to normal life.
This week, Pine Rest officials celebrated the opening of its first independent substance use disorder residential unit, Birch Lodge, located on its main campus just off of 68th Street.
The 12-bedroom facility original served as Pine Rest’s detox center, which had been moved to be with its substance use disorder residential program.
“What was happening is people who were coming in for detox were not really ready to hear about resources such as AAA or exercising,” said Dr. Talal Khan, the medical director, outpatient and recovery services, for Pine Rest. “What this does is provide a bridge between acute care and life, offering a smoother transition into life and its activities.’
Those in the Pine Rest substance use disorder program may move to the step-down program at the Birch Lodge Residential Unit after completing detox. Residents may stay up to 30 days but the facility’s short-term stay is expected to be seven to 10 nights. The facility includes a living room, dining room and kitchen, double occupancy bedrooms, a class room, exercise area, and offices.
“We will be having dinner together which for some will be a challenge in having dinner without having a drink,” said the Clinic Manager Lisa Zwerk, RN.
The patients at the Birch Lodge residential facility will participate in group therapy, spiritual reflection, case management sessions, technology time, fitness time, and recover support meetings. Patients also will be attending outings to Griffins and Whitecap games along with visiting local restaurants to learn about their triggers and how to plan for them, Zwerk said, adding the group also will visit community-peer led sober support programs as well to learn about resources that are available to them.
Khan said it takes time for medications to stabilize and relearn daily activities which is something that the facility offers versus residents going straight from acute care right back into daily life.
“When you have a substance use disorder, you burn a lot of bridges in the process,” Khan said. “Mending those bridges takes time.”
The new unit will expand Pine Rest’s use disorder services from 14 to 26 beds with Pine Rest officials estimating the organization will be able to treat up to 400 additional patients each year through the Birch Lodge Resident Unit.
Substance use disorder is a broad term that covers what used to be called substance abuse and substance dependence. The term can be applied to most additions, drug and alcohol as well as gambling, internet addiction, sex and others. According to Zwerk, the residential program has handled about 70 percent alcohol-related dependencies and about 30 percent have been drug related. The need for substance use disorder support has continued to grow with it being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Khan, there has been 30 percent increase in substance use disorder since the start of the pandemic. The number of people who seek treatment remains at about 10 percent, he said.
Zwerk noted that patients who move on from the Birch Lodge will be able to work with the same professional providers and clinicians as they move on through each level of care.
“So a person who has been discharged from the residential program may continue to meet with the same doctors and clinicians they worked with here in outpatient care,” she said, adding that the program is designed for people of all income levels.
The Birch Lodge Resident Unit officially opened on Tuesday accepting its first patients that day.
For more about the Birch Lodge residential program or the services available at Pine Rest, visit the organization’s website.
