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Substance use disorder affects every community, neighborhood and income level, and is a widely spreading epidemic across the area. Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a disease and should be treated as such. According to a press release from Wellstar, Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center has partnered with Evergreen Healthcare Partners to offer the StepOne ServiceTM.

This service is an inpatient, hospital-based three-to-five-day Acute Withdrawal Management service available to adults requiring medical management of withdrawal symptoms from alcohol and/or opioids in order to help get them started on a path free of substance use disorder.

To qualify, individuals must be at an acute medical stage, already in the process of withdrawal and desiring help resolving their substance use disorder, which may be keeping them from meeting responsibilities at home, school or work.  Potential candidates are screened by StepOne Service staff to determine the urgent nature of their health status prior to admission.

With established medication protocols, the attending physician and nursing staff is able to medically stabilize the patient by alleviating the most intense symptoms of withdrawal which often present as obstacles to successful treatment once an individual has made the decision to seek help in an outpatient setting.

The StepOne Service staff continues discussions with the patient throughout the inpatient stay to develop an individualized discharge plan that includes appropriate navigation to the next level of care. This service is covered by most insurance plans accepted by the hospital, according to the press release.

For more information about the StepOne Service at Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center, contact the StepOne Service team Monday through Friday at (706) 204-9213.

To learn more about Wellstar, visit wellstar.org.