Recovery Month, recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as the month of September and immediately following Overdose Awareness Week, is a national observance dedicated to promoting and supporting evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery practices. Through this observance, SAMHSA recognizes both the United States’ recovery communities and treatment providers who collaborate to make recovery possible for all people struggling with substance use and SUD.
Throughout Recovery Month and year-round, the Cooper Center for Healing recognizes and celebrates all people in all stages of recovery. The center’s mission is to develop well-understood treatments for SUD, pain, and psychological trauma through innovation and research, while ensuring that evidence-based practice is promoted through both undergraduate and graduate medical education (GME). At the core of this mission, is a vision where the center is dedicated to ending stigma and promoting the best clinical practices through evidence-based medicine rooted in health equity and humanism, allowing people in recovery to live full and satisfying lives. This mission and vision is exemplified through compassionate and empathetic leadership excellence envisioned and employed by Kaitlan Baston, MD, DFASAM, Head of the Center for Healing and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine and Government Relations at Cooper, in collaboration with the center’s clinical leadership and all center medical specialists and interdisciplinary staff.
The Center for Healing is committed to providing cutting-edge and inclusive care for all patients struggling with SUD, pain, trauma, and psychiatric disorders. With outpatient treatment locations in Camden, Blackwood, and Pennsville, and an inpatient treatment location, Recovery Village Cherry Hill at Cooper, as well as an inpatient hospital consult service, the center provides myriad treatment options for all patients. Using a variety of unique programming, medical specialty services include but are not limited to: transition care for people recently released from incarceration; an emergency department (ED) and hospital bridge program; a low-barrier walk-in clinic; integrated addiction and infectious disease care; dual diagnosis psychiatric and addiction care; individual, group, and family behavioral health care; a wraparound perinatal program, Empowering Mothers to Parent and Overcome with Resilience (EMPOWR); full coverage services for SUD and mental health for uninsured people including those experiencing undocumentation; and other innovative community-based work.
The Addiction Medicine Program at Cooper originated in 2015 within Cooper’s Urban Health Institute (UHI). The program was founded with the mission of providing evidence-based SUD treatment for the most vulnerable patient populations to improve their health outcomes and engagement with primary care, and has since grown into what is now the Center for Healing. The center employs a robust and multidisciplinary team of dedicated medical specialists in addiction medicine, toxicology, emergency medicine (EM) and emergency medical services (EMS), internal medicine, family medicine, and psychiatry who provide quality interdisciplinary specialty care in the hospital, ambulatory, and community settings. The center also has dedicated interdisciplinary staff spanning behavioral health clinicians, nurses, navigator specialists, and other clinical staff who provide wraparound services for patients in a biopsychosocial model and help them to address social determinants of health (SDOH).
In 2016, the center established the EMPOWR Program for underserved pregnant and parenting women struggling with substance use or SUD, led by Dr. Baston and Iris Jones, LPC, LCADC, NCC, CCS, Clinical Operations Manager and Therapist at the Center for Healing. Additional New Jersey Department of Health (NJ DOH) funding awarded in 2017 enabled the center to provide intrinsic wraparound services and medication gap coverage, recovery-focused housing, transportation, and essential baby items. In 2019, Cooper partnered with Advanced Recovery Services (ARS) to open a state-of-the-art 90-bed inpatient treatment facility, now known as Recovery Village Cherry Hill at Cooper, offering all levels of SUD care in an integrated model. Led by Ryan Schmidt, MD, FASAM, Recovery Village Cherry Hill at Cooper Medical Director, Addiction Medicine Specialist at the Center for Healing, and Program Director for the Cooper Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, the Center for Healing’s medical specialists provide medical treatment at the facility and drive quality, evidence-based care and education in the inpatient treatment model.
Academically, the Center for Healing is dedicated to providing medical education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and facilitates the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited Cooper Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, led by Dr. Schmidt and Christopher Milburn, MD, Associate Program Director and Psychiatrist for Addiction Medicine and the Center for Healing. The center is further partnered with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) and the Coriell Institute for Medical Research to conduct genomics research, and facilitates several other clinical research trials across various departments within Cooper, led by Matthew Salzman, MD, Medical Director of Research for the Division of Toxicology and Addiction Medicine and Inpatient Medical Director for the Addiction Medicine Consult Service at Cooper. The center, in partnership with Rowan University, is also one of two State of New Jersey-designated Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) Centers of Excellence (COE). In this role, the center is contracted by the state to increase access to MAT across the nine southern counties of the state through clinical mentoring and education, building working collaborations within the community, and conducting research and developing novel and innovative models of clinical service and delivery.
In 2019, New Jersey passed legislation allowing EMS to carry and dispense buprenorphine, an evidence-based medication for OUD (MOUD), in the field to patients struggling with OUD. Cooper was the first program nationally, and as of September of 2022 remains the only EMS agency in the state, to provide this lifesaving medication in the field. In 2020, Cooper EMS and the Division of Toxicology and Addiction Medicine, led by Gerard Carroll, MD, FAAEM, EMT–P, EMS Medical Director and Division Head of EMS and Disaster Medicine at Cooper, and Program Director for the Cooper EMS Fellowship Program, and Rachel Haroz, MD, FAACT, Division Head of Toxicology and Addiction Medicine and Community Relations Director for the Center for Healing and COE, collaborated to create a protocol for buprenorphine administration in the field. The team’s research investigators, led by Dr. Carroll, published a case series in Prehospital Emergency Care in May of 2020 to describe the field intervention, and achieved national recognition for clinical innovation through the program.
As the COVID–19 pandemic surged in 2020 and continued across 2021, the Center for Healing team remained steadfast to their mission and vision, with continued focus on vulnerable populations struggling with substance use and SUD, lifesaving harm reduction strategies, and low-barrier MAT access aimed at engaging as many new patients as possible while continuing to provide excellent care for the current patient population. Also in 2019, 2020, and across 2021, the center developed several strategic partnerships and disseminated best practices for evidence-based addiction medicine in other health care systems, and began staffing medical directorships at Recovery Village Cherry Hill at Cooper, Inspira Health Network, and Salem Medical Center, expanding its reach and dedication to excellence in the regional field.
Currently Dr. Haroz also serves as Addiction Medicine Medical Director at Salem Medical Center, where in June of 2021 she spearheaded the launch of a new ED bridge program, Salem Medical Center ED Addiction Pathways (SMC EDAP). The program ensures patients can receive buprenorphine and naloxone sublingual film induction based on the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS), and prescriptions and follow-up appointments are guaranteed at the Center for Healing’s outpatient treatment location, Cooper Internal Medicine and Specialty Care at Pennsville, and other local outpatient treatment locations that offer buprenorphine and methadone MOUD. Since launching SMC EDAP, people struggling with OUD who are recently released from incarceration in the county have received buprenorphine as first-line treatment. Also as part of the program and in partnership with Salem Medical Center, a compendium of prototypical prescriber education and patient health communication materials were created by Dr. Haroz in collaboration with Patricia Fortunato, Content Manager at the Center for Healing. The compendium has since been iterated for the Cooper ED Addiction Pathways (CUH EDAP) Program and the Southern NJ MAT Center of Excellence ED Addiction Pathways (SNJMATCOE EDAP) Program for statewide usage and nationwide reference.
In 2021, the Center for Healing simultaneously increased community engagement through expansion of the Bupe FIRST EMS program, CUH EDAP, hospital consult team, and the community networking and engagement telemedicine bridge program that engages patients in care transitions and post-incarceration. Care through these low-barrier engagement efforts expanded to include evidence-based alcohol treatment, and the center launched the Naltrexone for Extended–Release Injectable Suspension Pathway Program in the Cooper ED in May of 2021, enabling immediate care for patients with moderate or severe alcohol use disorder (AUD).
The Center for Healing has continued low-barrier ambulatory access with a mix of walk-in and scheduled visits at its outpatient treatment locations. Ambulatory services include options for cutting-edge addiction treatments including a successful long-acting injectable buprenorphine for OUD program, administratively led by the center’s Clinical Practice Supervisor, Lindsay Wilson, LPN, and supported by a growing team of dedicated licensed practical nurses (LPNs); integrated trauma therapy including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and psychiatric services; and a range of medication treatments. The center’s programs for special populations continue to grow, including EMPOWR; the Infectious Disease and Early Intervention Program (EIP) and Addiction Medicine Consult Service; and the Medicare in Clinic Program, which provides care for older adult patients with SUD. The EMPOWR Program has continued to support underserved pregnant and parenting women struggling with substance use or SUD, and the program’s overarching ethos continues to resound with communities served: all families deserve access to immediate, compassionate care and deserve to thrive without stigma, and any pregnant woman who is struggling with substance use or SUD can receive immediate, walk-in care. Additionally, the program’s retrospective study of 140 women examining outcomes including treatment retention rates, MOUD prescribing, and material sobriety, led by the center’s Pharmacist, Valerie Ganetsky, PharmD, was published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine in September of 2021.
Most recently, in December of 2021, the Center for Healing launched full coverage services for SUD and mental health for uninsured people including those experiencing undocumentation. English- and Spanish-speaking providers, translation services for all languages, and health communication material are available for all patients. The programmatic ethos—that high-quality and evidence-based health care is a human right, and safe and compassionate MAT is essential care—is fully in-line with the center’s mission and vision. Alongside this program and as part of the COE, the center continued to scale their efforts across the state, and have worked in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Human Services (NJ DHS), New Jersey Medicaid, the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), and the NJ DOH to increase access to MAT.
Through its COE designation, the Center for Healing hosts Addiction Breakfast Clubs, consortia based in Camden County and other Southern New Jersey regions, open to all MAT providers and providers interested in practice implementation of MAT in addition to all community stakeholders supportive of MAT and harm reduction strategies. Through its recurring meetings, the group facilitates peer collaboration and patient referrals, and strategizes ways to improve integrated care across clinical and community-based settings. To join an Addiction Breakfast Club, please email Patricia Fortunato, Content Manager at the Center for Healing, at fortunato-patricia@cooperhealth.edu.
New Group Therapy Support Initiatives for Center for Healing Patients
Beyond Benzodiazepines Patient Support Group: This new group is for patients who are using benzodiazepines or who are struggling to stop using and who are being treated at the Center for Healing. The goal of the group is to educate and support patients through the benzodiazepine taper process. Patients support each other while they learn how to manage the challenges, fear, and anxiety that are part of the journey, and the center’s clinical facilitators, Dr. Milburn in collaboration with Christina Ferrari, MD and Carley Schaffer, provide education about what to expect while tapering as well as coping strategies to help treat depression and anxiety. Health communication material on benzodiazepines and addiction is available for all patients.
General Population Patient Support Group: This new group is for all patients who are struggling with substance use or SUD and who are being treated at the Center for Healing. The goal of the group is to provide an open discussion for all patients to share their experiences if they choose, and explore recovery and support topics. The center’s clinical facilitators, Dr. Ferrari and Carlos Bermeo, MSW, LCSW, NBCCH, CCS, provide education about what to expect while in recovery as well as coping strategies to help treat depression and anxiety. Health communication material on addiction, harm reduction, and recovery is available for all patients.
For more information on these patient groups, existing and new patients can speak with their Center for Healing provider, nurse, or navigator specialist during their appointment, or call 856.342.3040.
Recovery Month 2022 Community Events and Initiatives
Camden County: An inaugural Camden-based community event series, “The Practices of Healing and Hope,” will launch on Thursday, September 15, 2022, and run through Thursday, May 18, 2023, at Camden County College’s Camden campus in partnership with the Center for Healing, Cooper Family Medicine, and other community partners. The kickoff event on September 15 will feature the center’s Dr. Baston and Iris Jones, who will both discuss the history of SUD treatment, pervasive systemic racism that has led to unjust disparities in care, and how communities can work together to not repeat the past and to ensure everyone possesses the knowledge they need to advocate for the treatments they deserve. Other topics covered by community partners during the fall, winter, and spring events will focus on grief, neurodiversity, disabilities, psychology, blues music, spirituality, poetry, and mindfulness and self-compassion (featuring Program Director for Family Medicine Residency at Cooper, Maya Bass, MD, FAAFP). To learn more and register for an event(s), please click here.
Salem County: On Fridays in September, the Salem County DMHAS will celebrate people living with SUD and share stories of strength and hope on the DMHAS Facebook Page to show that recovery is possible. To submit your story, please contact Victoria Maurizio, Director of the Salem County DMHAS, at victoria.maurizio@salemcountynj.gov or 856.935.7510, extension 8449.
Statewide: On Wednesday, September 21, 2022, NJ DMHAS will host “Virtual Opioid Summit 2022: The Evolving Opioid Crisis: A Collaborative Approach.” Please save the date and join the Center for Healing team during this summit. Drs. Haroz and Carroll will present on key statewide work to address and overcome the overdose crisis, with focus on Cooper’s Bupe FIRST EMS Program. To learn more and register for the summit, please click here.
For more information about substance dependence and substance use disorder, please click here.
Support Available Through Cooper
- For more information about the Cooper Center for Healing, please click here.
- For information about Cooper’s Infectious Disease and Early Intervention Program, please click here.
- For outpatient treatment information at the Cooper Center for Healing, please click here.
- For inpatient treatment information at Recovery Village Cherry Hill at Cooper, please click here.
The Center for Healing, in partnership with Cooper Population Health, is offering SUD patients access to COVID–19 vaccinations and free transportation to and from scheduled vaccine appointments at the Camden County Health Hub, Cooper University Hospital Vaccination Center in Camden, and Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center. For more information about vaccines for COVID–19 or to make yourself or a loved one an appointment to get vaccinated, please click here or call 1.800.8.COOPER (1.800.826.6737). When making an appointment, please ask about the free transportation option.
This Recovery Month 2022 entry was written by Patricia Fortunato, Content Manager at the Center for Healing; Iris Jones, LPC, LCADC, NCC, CCS, Clinical Operations Manager and Therapist at the Center for Healing; Rachel Haroz, MD, FAACT, Division Head of Toxicology and Addiction Medicine at Cooper and Community Relations Director for the Center for Healing; and Kaitlan Baston, MD, DFASAM, Center for Healing Head and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine and Government Relations at Cooper; with gratitude to the entire Center for Healing team.
The Cooper Center for Healing team poses with purple ribbon pins in honor of Overdose Awareness Week and Recovery Month, created during the center’s August 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Workgroup Meeting and led by Ivette Duncan, MSN, CPNP, PMHNP–BC, CMI–S, Advanced Practice Provider (APP) and DEI Workgroup Clinical Lead at the Center for Healing in collaboration with Carley Schaffer, LCADC, CCTP, CCS, Counselor at the Infectious Disease and Early Intervention Program (EIP) at Cooper and Maribel Washington, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) at the Center for Healing.
Handout Description for Accessibility: Depicted at the top are hands holding a butterfly and the butterfly gently lifting off, symbolizing taking care and strength; a family’s hands raised in solidarity; and a purple ribbon in support of the U.S.’ recovery communities. At the bottom is information regarding clinical services and patient appointment information at the Cooper Center for Healing.