KNOXVILLE – ReVIDA Recovery Centers CEO Lee Dilworth welcomed community partners and organization from the Knox County area today at an open house at ReVIDA’s Knoxville location.

ReVIDA open house; image submitted

The open house was held days after ReVIDA announced a strategic partnership with 180 Health Partners to reduce neonatal abstinence syndrome at ReVIDA’s seven locations. Dilworth was joined by representatives from the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, 180 Health Partners, the Metro Drug Coalition, and A Step Ahead along with other professionals in the recovery and care community.

According to the Tennessee Department of Health, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) “is a condition in which an infant undergoes withdrawal from a substance in which he or she was exposed to in-utero.” In 2017, the Tennessee Department of Health recorded 1,090 cases of NAS. However, Tennessee experienced the first decrease of children born with NAS in 2018 after a 5-year rise.

Lee Dilworth, CEO of ReVIDA Recovery Centers commented “Thank you very much for being here. I’ve met people from all sorts of recovery work here today. I’ve met first responders, I’ve met people from faith-based communities, I’ve met people from other service organizations, I’ve met public officials. Thank you for making this a priority to be here for an hour or two today. I also want to thank the physicians and staff of this particular treatment center. I don’t have words enough to tell you their level of commitment, their level of passion, their level of heart that they show up with every day. Here at ReVIDA Recovery Centers, we wake up here every day and help people reclaim their life from opioids. That’s why we do what we do. And we do it in comprehensive treatment centers like this one where we combine medication-assisted treatment with robust behavioral programming. Because we believe if we help the whole person, they’ll have a better chance at success in their recovery. When we talk about reclaiming lives, we’re talking about helping our patients get jobs or find transportation or other healthcare resources they need. You can rely on us to help you find what you need. We can’t do this without the support we have from the great city of Knoxville. I want to thank the Chamber for co-hosting with us here today, I want to thank our officials and dignitaries who are here with us, thank you for your support. Our doors are always open.”

Karen Pershing, Executive Director of the Metro Drug Coalition stated “It’s so wonderful to be here with everybody this afternoon. As you know we’re losing people almost every day. I’m so proud of this community coming together and stepping up and saying we’re tired of this. I see so many people in strong, stable recovery. And I see so many people here that are faces of recovery. You are a light for so many who are trying to get where you are. Metro Drug Coalition has been in this community for over 30 years. We focus on prevention but we also advocate for treatment. And we know that medication helps keep people in treatment longer. Drug use is a symptom, it’s not the problem. And there are so many different ways to recovery, as the people in this room can attest. I’m happy to be here and to partner with ReVIDA and the many people in this room to work together to fight this epidemic.”

Danielle Brown, StrongWell and 180 Health Partners Certified Peer Recovery Specialist added “180 Health Partners’ program StrongWell works with pregnant women who suffer from opioid use disorder. We offer help to our moms to help them navigate the fear and anxiety of struggling with opioid use disorder. We’re in great partnership here with ReVIDA. We come to the office, visit our moms, make sure the women have all the support they need and that we’re all on the same page. Thank you for all you do.”

“A Step Ahead is a program that is focused on removing barriers to long term reversable birth control, said Wendi Mullins, Executive Director of A Step Ahead. We focus on covering the cost of birth control, the cost of transportation to the doctor’s office, and providing a huge community education program. We’ve also launched an empowering women program that works directly with MAT clinics and provides comprehensive reproductive health education. Through that, if a woman is interested in receiving birth control, we will connect here with one of our providers and we cover the cost for it. When I reached out to ReVIDA about a partnership, they said, ‘how to we get on board?’ To be partnered with a patient-focused clinic like ReVIDA that gives that 360 attention, that is so important for us to provide the best care to help women make the best reproductive choices for their lives. To be there for women before a pregnancy, after a pregnancy, to be able to provide the information and just simply be a tool for them so they can focus on their health, their wellness, and plan when they’re going to have their babies for the best possible birth outcomes. We couldn’t be happier to be a partner with you guys.”

ReVIDA Recovery Centers Knoxville is located at 2001 Highland Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916.