MANSFIELD — Douglas Lauria spent more than a decade working in medical sales before he co-founded an opioid treatment center in 2019.
“Distributing pain management products to different centers really gave me a sense of empathy for what patients are going through and how they’re treated,” he said.
Lauria co-founded Columbus Suboxone Doctors with Dr. Mark Stanley, which now operates three different centers. The team recently opened a fourth center in Mansfield, its first outside of Columbus. The center is located at 120 Sturges Ave. suite 3.
Tonya Reed, operations director for Local Suboxone Doctors, grew up near Lexington and encouraged Lauria to think about opening a clinic in Richland County.
“I know the community needs help, we’ll just have to see if people come in here or not,” Reed said. “You can’t force people to come in, they have to walk in willingly.”
Reed said she and her husband Todd are thinking about moving to the Mansfield area to develop their haunted attraction at The Westing House.
“I was already working with Doug and said you should think about opening something in Mansfield,” she said. “We’re here to help the community and I think our approach will work well here.”
Local Suboxone Doctors’ website states the staff aim to “make patients feel understood and genuinely cared for.” It specializes in helping patients recover from opioid use disorder.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, suboxone is a prescription that uses medications designed to reduce withdrawal symptoms and opioid cravings, as well as reduce the risks of overdose and relapse.
Reed said the Local Suboxone Doctors clinics have popcorn and a microwave for patients and visitors.
“Just like you would have if you’re at home,” she said. “We try to treat our patients like family and not be as judgemental as the other companies can be.”
Clinic pairs medication & counseling for treatment
The Mansfield branch is in the process of listing with insurance providers before it advertises appointments. Patients will have a medical evaluation and assessment to determine if medication is appropriate.
The Local Suboxone Doctors office will also have physicians, mental health therapists and case managers. Some employees from the Columbus-area clinics may provide telehealth services.
“When you’re around addiction recovery every day, you see a lot of things that people don’t understand about it,” Reed said. “Everyone on our staff is trained to encourage people and welcome them.”
Lauria said some of the Columbus clinics see 50 people a day, but he is expecting fewer numbers in Mansfield. The centers aren’t equipped for inpatient services but can refer people to other organizations for full-time care.
“Addiction does not discriminate. It reaches all backgrounds, income levels, ages and communities.”
— Douglas Lauria, business director and co-founder of Columbus Suboxone Doctors
“Teamwork makes the dream work, so if our patients need food, housing or whatever, we’ll refer them to another entity,” Lauria said.
“We want to give our patients the best possible chance of recovery and feel that our staff are really helping them.”
Lauria said his favorite stories from former patients include being able to reunite with their families.
“Whether someone got a drug charge or had to be separated, it’s great to see that rift heal after we help,” he said.
“And anytime someone can get back on their feet and hold a job is an amazing accomplishment. A server at a restaurant I had breakfast at a few weeks ago actually came up to me and thanked us for creating a welcoming environment to help her get sober.”
The Mansfield branch of Local Suboxone Doctors is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday–Thursday. The direct phone line is 567-307-7334 and the general line for all clinics is 614-655-8956.
Anyone wanting help for themselves or family members should call or text the general line to book an appointment. The clinic asks patients to bring an ID and insurance card to their first appointment.
Community members can learn more about the clinic and its practices online at columbussuboxonedoctors.com.
