In Alexandria, Indiana, CleanSlate’s New Medication Treatment Center Creates One-Stop Location for Health Care Beyond Addiction
Sep 03

Alexandria, IN  – CleanSlate Centers, a national leader in outpatient medication treatment for opioid and alcohol addiction, is now seeing patients by appointment or walk-in at its new center in Alexandria, Indiana. The office-based center, located at 101 Harrison St., Alexandria, serves as an extension of CleanSlate’s busy center in nearby Anderson, and is the company’s ninth center across the state. Less than a month after opening its doors, CleanSlate’s Alexandria center is already seeing 50 patients.

(Pictured: Julie Clifton, Center Manager, and Ashlee Samp, Medical Assistant, of CleanSlate in Alexandria.)

“The feedback has been so positive,” said Julie Clifton, Center Manager for CleanSlate’s locations in Alexandria and Anderson. “The entire county is so excited to have us help this community. Everyone is telling us how much they need the help and how happy they are that we’re here.”

In a concerted effort to maximize patient convenience, the Alexandria location is co-located in the same building as the Madison County Community Health Center, which provides health services such as primary care, behavioral counseling, psychological counseling and dental. Housing CleanSlate in the same location provides an easy one-stop shop for patients needing other health care services, especially those that align with treatment recommendations by CleanSlate.

“I’m very encouraged by this co-location model,” said Dr. William Wolfe, Center Medical Director for CleanSlate’s location in Alexandria, and a provider at the Anderson center. “Alexandria is a small town and our patients sometimes travel a long way to see us. Creating a second location from our Anderson office creates more capacity for our providers to see patients, and co-locating with a health care provider can make it easier for patients to manage other needs that are important to their recovery.”

Between 2010 and 2016, Indiana deaths caused by opioids rose 271%, a fact that prompted Gov. Eric Holcomb to appoint Jim McClelland as the inaugural Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Enforcement for the State of Indiana last year. One of McClelland’s key action steps has been to greatly improve access to effective, affordable treatment, with a preference for medication-assisted treatment (MAT). This includes a commitment to increase the number of Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA)-approved opioid treatment locations so that Hoosiers have better access to treatment. CleanSlate’s push to open more outpatient medication treatment centers in Indiana is a response to the state’s overwhelming need for these services.

Having treated more than 33,000 patients over the past decade, CleanSlate’s program of care includes appropriate medication treatment prescribed by licensed medical providers, as well as clear accountability, supportive counseling and care coordination. With nearly 10,000 active patients across 46 centers nationwide, the medical group is actively growing its footprint to expand much-needed access to medication treatment for addiction.

“The biggest thing that you learn when you work in addiction is that there is no stereotype,” said Clifton. “We have patients pushing walkers, business people, people from all walks of life. Any one of us at any time could become addicted.”

“I’d say that 80% of our patient population is trying very hard to do well,” said Wolfe. “We help them reclaim their lives. We see people start to spend money on their kids, buying school clothes, paying their bills and rent, feeling confident and good about themselves for the first time in years. The change in the patients – and you can see it even just looking at their pictures – is 180 degrees. We make a real difference in their lives and in their whole attitude about living. That is very rewarding.”

“The ones that have touched me the most,” added Clifton, “are those that have walked in during active withdrawal. You see the tremendous pain that they’re in. And to then see them transform two weeks later, four weeks later, six weeks later, is amazing. To have them say ‘I feel normal again’….wow.”

To make an appointment at CleanSlate’s Alexandria center, please call 765-233-0903. The center is also seeing patients who walk in.

About CleanSlate 

A pioneer and leader in office-based, outpatient addiction medicine, CleanSlate is a rapidly expanding national medical group that provides treatment for the chronic disease of addiction, primarily opioid and alcohol use disorders. Founded in 2009 in response to the country’s growing opioid epidemic, CleanSlate’s physician-led centers utilize medication treatment and related therapies to treat patients who suffer from addiction and associated disorders, adhering to the highest quality, evidence-based practices.

To schedule an appointment at any CleanSlate center, please visit http://www.cleanslatecenters.com to find the nearest center. All CleanSlate centers accept walk-ins. Learn more about CleanSlate at www.cleanslatecenters.com, and sign up for our newsletter to receive regular insights about addiction treatment and the opioid epidemic.