MANSFIELD — Dr. Joseph Bocka said many people think about resolutions or how to improve themselves in January each year.
That makes it a good time period for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month, according to Bocka, recently promoted to medical director for substance use disorder services at Catalyst Life Services.
“A lot of people are thinking about how to reset around this time,” said Bocka, who had been the agency’s withdrawal management medical director and has been with Catalyst for about seven years.
“We think of it as a time to take steps toward healthier living, and hopefully this month can highlight places and resources for treatment and recovery,” he said.
The inagural Substance Abuse Treatment Month aims to address barriers to treatment and raise awareness about evidence-based treatments for people with substance-use disorders, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Laura Montgomery, CEO at Catalyst, said the agency is making progress as a “one-stop shop” for substance-use disorders and mental-health management.
“By providing these lifesaving services for people in our community, individuals don’t have to piece together the behavioral support they need between multiple providers,” she said.
The organization introduced outpatient medication-assisted treatment in fall 2023, according to Elaine Surber, executive vice president and director of substance use disorder services.
“It makes treatment much more comprehensive when we’re all on a team and collaborating together,” Surber said.
“Our philosophy is there’s no wrong door to treatment — individuals can call our 24-hour Helpline, submit an interest form on our website, utilize our Urgent Care process, get referred from the courts, or have a family member bring them in. We try to make it as easy as possible for people to access care,” she said.
Treatment begins with an assessment to determine what a patient needs and where Catalyst can best provide support.
The nonprofit offers a variety of services including withdrawal management, gender-specific residential services, medication management, counseling, case management and peer support to assist people in their recovery journey.
How does Catalyst work with insurance?
Catalyst Life Services accepts Medicaid, Medicare, commercial insurance, and self-pay. For Richland County residents, the nonprofit offers a sliding fee scale through the Richland County Mental Health Board. Potential grant dollars are also a viable source of covering services. Gap funding such as Richland County United Way dollars and individual/ business donations can be used for Richland County residents when no other funding source is available. Insurance benefits are verified to determine coverage allowance and costs.
Bocka promoted to medical director for substance use services
Bocka, certified in addiction treatment with the American Board of Preventive Medicine, oversees the medical care and services for individuals at the withdrawal management and outpatient addiction medicine program.
Nurse Practitioner Lana Royer joined the Catalyst team in May of 2024.
In addition to working at the withdrawal management program, she has focused on expanding the outpatient addiction medication management program to assist individuals in achieving and maintaining recovery.
“One of us, primarily Lana, is doing the intake of everyone that comes into the withdrawal unit and we collaborate on a treatment plan,” Bocka said.
“We have someone always on call so people can get 24/7 support.”
Bocka said the withdrawal unit often works in conjunction with Catalyst’s other services like the New Beginnings’ residential and outpatient programs and other health care providers.
Surber said the withdrawal management program saw 312 admissions in 2024.
“Dr. Bocka, Lana, and our caring teams of professionals work closely with the rest of our agency and community partners to keep people engaged in treatment, and I think it’s really amazing,” she said.
“Our community is fortunate to have access to higher levels of care such as withdrawal management and New Beginnings residential programming.”
Royer said someone from Catalyst is on-call to help anyone who walks in asking for help.
“Sometimes, people don’t know until one morning that they want to get help,” Royer said. “We try to make sure when people come through the door, they know they’re cared about and supported here at Catalyst. Our medication assisted treatment program works with counseling and mental health services for holistic healing.”
The Catalyst withdrawal management team treats a variety of substance use disorders, including alcohol, opiates, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other stimulants.
“A lot of them are in combination, which makes it much more deadly,” Bocka said. “Crime lab samples show an average of three substances when people usually think they’re taking one.”
Bocka said most medications target the brain’s “cravings center” to substitute reliance on previous substances.
“Medication differs based on the substance and individual,” he said. “Withdrawal support is just the tip of the iceberg in trying to get that long-term plan for recovery.
“We also work together with behavioral health for holistic healing. The best treatment plan is the one people will stick to.”
Catalyst’s patients are largely from Richland and neighboring counties, but the programs also draw referrals from Wooster, Cleveland, Akron, or Canton.
“Sometimes you just need to get out of your environment in order to get better,” Bocka said.
“You could be in prison for 20 years and if you haven’t had that support and counseling, you could go past an old bar or your former dealer, and boom, you could be right back in the same situation.”
“Our community is fortunate to have access to higher levels of care such as withdrawal management and New Beginnings residential programming.”
Elaine Surber, catalyst executive vice president and director of substance use disorder services
Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month ‘celebrates and recognizes the process toward recovery,’ says Bocka
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration declared this January as the first Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month to support people seeking help for substance use disorders, and to support providers who treat disorders.
Surber said she hopes recognizing the mission of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month will encourage people to seek help.
“We think people with substance use disorders know where to go for help, but they might not,” she said. “So SAMHSA identified Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month to feature life-saving medications that people might not be aware of or know they have access to.”
Bocka said many people think about resolutions or how to improve themselves in January, so he thinks it’s a good occasion for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month.
“A lot of people are thinking about how to reset around this time,” the medical director said. “We think of it as a time to take steps toward healthier living, and hopefully this month can highlight places and resources for treatment and recovery.”
For more information about Catalyst Life Services’ offerings for addiction treatment, mental health and crisis services, or audiology and vocational services, visit catalystlifeservices.org.
