Addiction treatment services outpaced by demand in Tippecanoe Co.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Pick a county at random in Indiana, even in the United States, and chances are it is facing a severe shortage of addiction treatment specialists and facilities. And Tippecanoe County is no exception.

“Like most communities in Indiana and across the country there is now a high demand for addiction services, especially with the opioid epidemic,” Dr. Jeremy Adler, Tippecanoe County health officer, said. “Like many communities, we definitely have a shortage of addiction treatment services in our county.”

Right now, Tippecanoe County has one inpatient drug treatment facility, Sycamore Springs, three outpatient treatment centers and several addiction counseling services.

Outpatient refers to intensive recovery treatment programs that take place while the patient remains at home and is perhaps continuing to work or go to school. Inpatient is an acute stabilization treatment regime were a patient remains at a facility to detox and receive counseling and medical treatment.

Where the county faces an acute shortage is in inpatient services.

“That’s an area where we could use more,” Adler said.

Sycamore Springs has 48 beds in its facility, although only 24 of those are set aside for patients struggling with addiction. The other 24 are for those facing severe mental health issues.

 Zoe Frantz, CEO of Sycamore Springs, said currently the facility is nearly full and sometimes they do have bed capacity issues. For the outpatient services at Sycamore Springs, however, there is not a waiting list.

“We definitely keep those 24 beds full,” Frantz said.  

Frantz added part of the reason it is difficult to maintain addiction services in the area is because there is a shortage of addiction treatment professionals nationwide, and it can be challenging to attract them to smaller cities like Lafayette.

Brent Clemenz, who is the supervising director of Tippecanoe County Services for Wabash Valley Alliance, said his organization also faces this issue.

“We really need to look at expanding services to meet the needs in the community, but there is a lack of trained professionals in our state,” he said.

In addition to finding ways to attract professionals, Clemenz said there needs to be an effort early on to offer programs and education for those looking to go into addiction counseling or treatment jobs.

“Anything we can do to increase interest in seeking this as a profession would help, whether it’s kids going into college or individuals in recovery who want to utilize their experiences in the profession,” he added.

At the moment, Frantz said, Sycamore Springs is well staffed with providers. She thinks that is partly because she’s been flexible and imaginative when it comes to attracting the best talent.

“I was able to pull from the Indianapolis area by doing creative scheduling, creative compensation packages and being creative in terms of meeting the provider’s needs instead of meeting my needs,” she said. “It’s costly, but at the end of the day I can’t run my services without them.”

And there will be more need for addiction treatment professionals soon in the area, Frantz said, as Alpine Clinic, which Sycamore Springs recently acquired, is opening an outpatient mental wellness and addiction treatment clinic for child and adolescent addiction.

And Limestone Health, an affiliate of Sycamore Springs, will open its doors this Spring. Limestone Health is a medication-assisted treatment center for people struggling from opioid addiction. The program could treat up to 500 people per day and, Frantz said, at an average of $16 per day for treatment it is an affordable option for many.

“It’s not the answer for everyone, but it is another tool in our toolbox,” Frantz said. “We don’t have enough of those tools.”

Frantz and her colleagues hope that having all these services linked through one central organization will give people better access to services and also help stem the tide of professional shortages.

There will be more mobility for patients and professionals within the organization, more resources for training and, ultimately, more jobs for those considering a profession in treating substance abuse patients. 

“This is the first opportunity Lafayette has had to have all these services under one umbrella,” Bob Kedelis, director of business development at Sycamore Springs, said. “And it offers us the opportunity to look at other service needs in the community.”

Frantz said identifying the services the area needs and making them a reality is an ongoing process. She added that Sycamore Springs often is in contact with other mental health care and addiction treatment providers around the county, as well as with city officials, in attempts to fill gaps in care.

While Adler recognized there is a need for more services like Sycamore Springs, he said Tippecanoe County is better off than many surrounding counties.

“We are probably more fortunate than our surrounding counties in terms of the resources we have, but we could use more,” Adler said.

Frantz doesn’t disagree but there are many limiting factors to opening more inpatient facilities in Tippecanoe County, such as space, funding and a ready workforce. The number of those in need of treatment will, at least for many years to come, continue to outpace the facilities and professionals available to help them.

“There will still always be that need,” she said.