JOPLIN -- Ozark Center New Directions has a new address. The drug treatment center recently relocated to a larger building at 3220 S. Wisconsin Avenue in Joplin. The move allows for increased capacity for its outpatient substance use treatment services.
A ribbon cutting and open house is set from 3 to 5 p.m. this Friday. Tours will be given, and light refreshments will be served.
The reasons behind the move, said Vicky Mieseler, chief administrative officer for Ozark Center, are becoming more evident each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 75 percent of the more than 90,000 drug overdose deaths in 2020 involved an opioid, while more than 82 percent of those opioid deaths involved synthetic opioids and added mixtures, such as fentanyl and xylazine.
"With these increased risks across the nation coming into our area, Ozark Center is staying ahead of this deadly trend by providing evaluation and treatment services for a broad range of substances, including medication-assisted treatment options (such as buprenorphine, which lowers opioid cravings), overdose education and access to Narcan, for clients and their families," Mieseler said.
New Directions provides substance use services, treatment, and support networks for Joplin area residents beneath an umbrella of separate but interrelated components, including substance use, recovery support, and anger management programs.
Overall, the Wisconsin Avenue location has triple the amount of square footage than the previous space, Mieseler said. New or relocated features include:
A new pharmacy with a drive-through window where trained physicians, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants can prescribe medicines. The pharmacy allows patients to obtain their prescriptions and have them filled at the same location.
Increased capacity to help more clients seeking medicated-assisted treatment options, with nursing support space quadrupled.
The expanded space allows two large, open client lobbies, spacious hallways, new group rooms, and larger treatment offices.
The resident psychiatrist training facility -- which trains and educates psychiatrists to provide excellent care -- features a state-of-the-art learning environment with a lecture hall, recreation room, and library. Overall, the number of psychiatrist residents will increase from 12 to 16.
"The new building increases the opportunity for us to provide cutting-edge treatment options in reducing substance use impact in our community," Mieseler said.
Locally owned, not-for-profit, and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital, and Ozark Center -- the area's largest provider of behavioral health services -- as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.
An integral component of Freeman Health System, Ozark Center provides comprehensive behavioral health services to children, adults and families in an area that includes more than 450,000 residents from Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Ozark Center continually looks for innovative ways to address the mental health needs of the community and promote awareness of mental illness in an effort to eliminate the discrimination associated with it. For more information, visit ozarkcenter.com or call 417-347-7600.