Squirrel Hill Health Center now provides primary care appointments to POWER clients on-site at our Penn West location.
Evidence shows that holistic care leads to better overall outcomes for women in recovery.
Annual doctor’s visits and checkups for chronic conditions often fall to the wayside when someone has an active substance use disorder. Because of stigma and shame, many women don’t talk about their substance use if they do see a doctor. As a result, many women with substance use disorders don’t receive the primary care they need to sustain their recovery.
When a woman comes to POWER, she feels safe to talk to her doctor about her addiction, her mental health, and the physical signs and symptoms of trauma and long-term substance use. She can finally get the complete care she needs to improve her health and sustain her recovery.
Onsite makes a difference.
Many of our clients don’t own a car, and they struggle to afford the rising cost of bus fare. Providing basic healthcare and POWER services under one roof helps to reduce access barriers and makes it easier for women to receive the comprehensive care they need to recover.
Consistency is crucial to recovery.
For a woman who has medication-assisted treatment (MAT) as part of her recovery plan, regular visits with her primary care provider are necessary to keep the MAT prescription filled. With convenient visits to her doctor onsite, a woman is less likely to have lapses in her MAT prescription.
We are so excited to offer this new, easily accessible service to clients.
To ensure the health and safety of clients and staff, we will be using the same protocols we have in place when answering and greeting anyone that comes to POWER. This includes temperature checks, social distancing when possible, and requiring everyone to wear masks.
