ADDICTION RECOVERY CARE ISSUES STATEMENT REGARDING DEA PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT ON SHARP INCREASE IN FAKE PRESCRIPTION PILLS CONTAINING FENTANYL AND METH, ENCOURAGES KENTUCKIANS TO SEEK TREATMENT
Addiction Recovery Care (ARC), a leading provider of treatment and recovery services in Kentucky, released a statement today following the public safety alert issued by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, including its Louisville office, earlier this week. The DEA is warning Americans of an alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. ARC representatives are available to speak with media regarding this issue (see attachment for bios).
“Kentucky experienced a nearly 50-percent increase in drug overdose fatalities between 2019 and 2020, driven not only by increased substance use amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but by a major uptick in illicit fentanyl and its analogs within the drug supply,” said Matt Brown, senior vice president of administration for Addiction Recovery Care. “Fentanyl continues to be an urgent, life-threatening problem in communities across the commonwealth, and we encourage all Kentuckians struggling with substance use to seek treatment. Our state has made great strides in recent years to ensure that anyone in need of treatment services can access them without delay. With more than 30 addiction treatment centers across Eastern and Central Kentucky, ARC is here to help the moment an individual decides to pursue recovery.”
According to the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, an opioid was involved in 90 percent of all overdose deaths in 2020, and fentanyl was detected in more than 70 percent of all cases in Kentucky and nationwide. The overdose increase was also exacerbated by the widespread availability of potent inexpensive methamphetamine.
For more information on ARC’s programs and services, call 606-653-0302 or visit arccenters.com. ARC staff are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist.
By Karen Parrish
###
About Addiction Recovery Care (ARC)
Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) operates a network of more than 38 addiction treatment centers in 16 Eastern and Central Kentucky counties. The organization, headquartered in Louisa, Kentucky, offers a full continuum of care including withdrawal management, long-term residential treatment, intensive outpatient, outpatient, medically assisted treatment (MAT), vocational rehabilitation and job training. The treatment centers are holistic with CARF-accredited clinical programs, medical services directed by an addiction psychiatrist, a spiritual emphasis that includes the 12 steps and chaplaincy care and a broadening scope of vocational training opportunities for clients.
ARC has a focus on providing Treatment on Demand to ensure individuals receive treatment immediately without delay. This process includes quick enrollment into programs and transportation provided by ARC to one of our facilities. Individuals will have a clinical and medical assessment within 24 hours of arrival.
