Outpatient center in Pekin aims to address isolation-induced issues worsened by pandemic

Dec. 15—The COVID-19 pandemic has set the stage for long periods of emotional and physical isolation. According to a 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that isolation has helped lead to people experiencing disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use and elevated suicidal thoughts.

To address this crisis, the nonprofit addiction treatment provider Gateway Foundation has launched a new co-occurring treatment program to best address the relationship between mental health and substance use disorders.

"People are facing a perfect storm of suffering, which makes now the most important time to launch a more sophisticated treatment program," said Jim Scarpace, Gateway Foundation's executive director. "People who are reaching out are coming in sicker than ever before."

The foundation operates 16 residential and outpatient treatment centers throughout Illinois, including an outpatient facility in downtown Pekin at 11 S. Capitol Street.

According to clinical supervisor Mercedes Kent, the organization developed the program by analyzing the changes in mental health concerns during the pandemic. They then established a baseline curriculum and received feedback from in-house therapists throughout Illinois. That allowed Gateway Foundation to make modifications and improvements to the program and tailor it to the needs of clients.

"(We wanted) the curriculum to be easy to use and understand for the client as well as the staff," Kent said.

Kent believes it is important to remember that substance abuse and mental health issues like isolation-induced depression or anxiety are often co-occurring problems. Drugs and alcohol are often seen as solutions — rather than contributing factors — to mental health issues.

"That's what this curriculum is about," she said. "It addresses those co-occurring disorders, whether it be anxiety, depression or other mental health issues like severe trauma, new trauma, old trauma or generational trauma. Being more well-rounded has really helped us to improve treatment for the clients we serve."

The updated program is built around Gateway's evidence-based curriculum. Kent maintained that Gateway needed to work with outside consultants to identify new and emerging substance abuse trends so the foundation could apply up-to-date practices to its new program. In addition to helping clients identify and address underlying issues that may lead to drug or alcohol addiction, Gateway seeks to reduce the stigma associated with substance abuse, which can help clients build up support networks.

"We're very open about talking about it so we can reduce that stigma," said Kent. "So I think the people who are calling to get into treatment are more receptive to asking for help and getting help as we continue to talk about the disease of addiction."

Gateway Foundation's mission is to reduce substance abuse and co-occurring mental health problems through effective and efficient treatment programs. Clients can attend Gateway's outpatient treatment programs either in-person or online through Gateway Connect. More information is available at www.gatewayfoundation.org.

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