Trumbull County to get opiate-addiction treatment program

WARREN — Trumbull County’s first comprehensive medication-assisted treatment program for opiate addiction will open in three to six months at the Compass Family and Community Services office at 320 High St. NE.

It will provide treatment using Suboxone, Vivitrol and methadone, coupled with counseling and meetings such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, said April Caraway, executive director of the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board.

Medication-assisted treatment is available in the county now, but the physicians and others providing it don’t offer the kinds of therapy and group assistance Compass will, Caraway said.

The facility is a collaboration between Compass and Meridian Healthcare on Meridian Road in Youngstown, which already provides comprehensive medication-assisted treatment at its Youngstown facility.

Joe Caruso, Compass president and CEO, spoke at a news conference today at its High Street offices, saying the Compass program will “replicate what Meridian has been doing.”

Caruso said he thinks the program can “make a huge difference” in the county’s huge addition problem. There were 86 drug overdose deaths through Dec. 8, 2015, an increase of 27 over 2014 when there were 59.

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com