EDINBURG, Texas - Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez has praised South Texas Health System for opening a Chemical Dependency Unit.
The inpatient unit aims to empower the recovery and overall well-being of program participants. It is based within STHS Behavioral, located at 2102 W. Trenton Rd., Edinburg.
“Hidalgo County is the seventh most populous county out of 254 in Texas and we're very fast-growing. And today, a lot more people have multiple issues with mental health and other physical problems that require a lot of treatment and a lot of care,” Cortez said.
“So for us to have this facility here is very, very important. Unfortunately, some of our people are hooked on some chemical dependency and they need help. It is extremely important for us to be able to help those people get out of those problems.”
Cortez said it is an unfortunate fact that some people that become hooked on drugs turn to crime to feed their habit.
“It puts a tremendous burden on the family. And it puts a burden on the government also, to sometimes maintain them in some way with some subsidies or whatever. It is best to have a healthy un-chemical dependent society.”
Cortez added: “We're very blessed with good health care people (in Hidalgo County) such as South Texas Health Systems. We want to be a good partner with institutions such as STHS, to serve the people as best we can.”
A grand opening and ribbon-cutting event for the Chemical Dependency Unit (CDU) included tours of the new ten-bed facility. In addition to Judge Corey, Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza was in attendance.
STHS says the ten-bed unit will be staffed by a licensed chemical dependency counselor who specializes in the treatment of substance use disorders. The program will focus on services for patients with co-occurring disorders such as chemical dependency and a mental health diagnosis.
A press release from STHS said the health risks from addictions to alcohol and illicit drugs are a serious threat. The press release cited a report from the National Center for Health Statistics which showed that nearly 92,000 people in the US died from a drug overdose between April 2020 and April 2021.
The press release also cited data from the Centers for Diseases Control which showed that more than 20 million Americans aged 12 years and older are battling a substance use disorder.
“Several factors from genetics, a person’s environment, and a mental health disorder, can cause someone to develop an addiction,” the STHS press release stated.
Jessica Becker, chief executive officer of STHS Behavioral, said the programming and education to be used at the CDU was created in partnership with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. This organization provides addiction treatment, mental health care, research and reconnection to individuals, communities and families in crisis.
Becker said the the program will engage in activity therapy and psycho-educational programming to help patients post-discharge, including money management, community resources and other topics.
“When I came here, about a year and a half ago, we were meeting with the community they said that they needed a substance use disorder treatment. So a year later we're here and we are we're opening it, Becker said, proudly.
Asked why the CDU is important, Becker said: “Because it just supports (the patients). They don't have to go outside of the (Rio Grande) Valley. They can get the treatment right here at home with the community that supports them and loves them. And we can set them up for success once they leave our treatment as well.”
Becker said there is sometimes a link between substance abuse and mental health problems.
“If a patient comes in dealing with a psychiatric issue, that's a primary, they can go on our psychiatric floor, they can stabilize there, and then they can always transition into our substance care unit from there,” Becker said.
“If they're detoxing and then something (mental health related) comes up, we can always have that support. We specialize right now in psychiatric care. So that's really great and now we're gonna specialize in substance. And so we're kind of a one stop shop, kind of anything that you need, we can support that.”
