WAYNE COUNTY, Pa. — The opioid crisis is something that many county drug and alcohol programs face, including in Wayne County.
Avenues Recovery Center of Lake Ariel is an in-patient drug and alcohol facility that began accepting clients not long before the pandemic hit.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate those who have made their way through the program successfully and Avenues's ability to expand and update the facility to better help its clients.
Marc Boriosi is the Clinical Director at the center and says the need to help in this area during this past year was necessary.
"This was an opportunity; there was another facility here that did not do well that we did take over, and it's just been working beautifully," Marc said.
This is the first in-patient recovery center in Wayne County.
Jeremy Eason is a former client at Avenues Recovery Center.
He said he thought it was beneficial to have somewhere to go that's close to home.
"Knowing there's places in the community that we can go and seek help is extremely important. It is, it's a disease, at the end of the day, and it will kill me," said Jeremy.
Jeff Zerechak is the director of Wayne County Drug & Alcohol Commission and says this past year, an increased number of people reached out to his office seeking help for an addiction.
But many don't have the means to enter a facility and need help.
"We encourage anybody in Wayne County that needs help to please they can stop by our office, they can call us. Don't wait any longer. Addiction is as an illness as a disorder that only gets worse over time," Jeff said.
If you are struggling with addiction and want more information on seeking help, you can visit the Wayne County Drug & Alcohol Commission website, or you can call 570-253-6022.
You can find information about Avenues Recovery Center here on its website.