Adolescent Substance Abuse Center
Now Open in Pike County

Milford – A new health service is now available to residents of Pike County. Ronnie Biondo and Joan Waldman of The Pike County Health Fund have announced that the Pike County Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource Center will begin serving the Pike County Area immediately. The goal of the center, which will initially reside in the Milford Health & Wellness Center, is to provide services to adolescents and their families who are coping with the substance abusing behaviors of the adolescent.

The services offered through the Pike County Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource Center will encompass four principal components.

The first component is Outreach, Education and Consultation. This will include outreach to schools, social service agencies, child welfare, other professional service providers and the juvenile justice system. The development of a network of referral sources to generate awareness for the program is also an integral part of the initial period. A network of program agencies will also be developed to provide follow up treatment services. Education and consultation within the community is necessary to identify substance abusing teens and available resources.

The second component includes Family Services . Family group counseling sessions will be provided with the formats of Support & Counseling Services and Psycho-Educational activities.

The third component involves Evaluations of the adolescent. This will include an in-depth assessment of the individual adolescent and the family system to identify critical issues such as the level of substance abusing behaviors, the motivation for treatment, previous treatment services and the psychological/psychiatric issues involved.

The fourth and final component is the Referral for follow up services. At this point treatment options are reviewed along with the level of need and financial resources. The Pike County Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource Center will provide short term counseling to the adolescent to increase motivation and readiness for treatment programs.

The counselor in charge of implementation of the Pike County Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource Centeris Mary Stanley an experienced licensed Clinical Social Worker. Stanley has been counseling teens and their families about substance abuse for over twelve years. Employed at Newton Memorial Hospital as a Licensed Social Worker since 1994, Stanley has counseled in both inpatient and outpatient mental health settings. Stanley is a graduate of Cornell University with a Masters in Social Work from Marywood University. Also certified as a Dialectical Behavior Therapist, Stanley counsels at Little Hill Alina Lodge, a world recognized residential substance abuse program in New Jersey.

Regarding the launch of the Pike County Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource Center Stanley stated “Substance abuse is a chronic, progressive, potentially fatal issue that is highly treatable. It is a family issue as well. This center will be underwritten by the Pike County Health Fund and offers Pike County teens and their families the opportunity to seek a healthy alternative.”

Bill Yee, Vice President of Behavioral Health at Newton Memorial Hospital and Supervisor of the Pike County Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource Center for the Pike County Health Fund stated "I am pleased that the Adolescent Substance Abuse resource center is opening in Milford through the Pike County Health Fund. Substance abuse among the adolescent population continues to be a pervasive community problem. We are very excited that Mary Stanley has agreed to join the team to head up this center in Milford. Mary has extensive experience working with clients who have difficult to treat substance abusing behaviors.  The success of this center will serve as a first step in providing future mental health/substance abuse treatment services in Pike County."

The Pike County Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource Center is being made possible through the generosity of Pike County businesses and community support as part of an on-going mission to provide quality healthcare to the residents of Pike County. Newton Memorial Hospital has joined the Pike County Health Fund by providing services, personnel and marketing efforts to support the center.

The Pike County Health Fund addresses the growing health concerns of county residents, especially working families, children and senior citizens. The purpose of the Pike County Health Fund, administered by the Newton Memorial Hospital Foundation, is to provide various diagnostic testing, screenings and other health services for those residents of Pike County who are uninsured or under-insured. For further information on the Pike County Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource Center call Mary Stanley at 570-877-2847. Learn more about all the services offered through the Pike County Health Fund by calling (973) 579-8340.

The Pike County Health Fund…Securing a Healthier Future for all of Pike County