Pike County Times
The Pike County Times, PO Box 843, Zebulon, Georgia 30295. Click here to donate through PayPal. Becky Watts: Phone # 770-468-7583 editor@pikecountytimes.com
 
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This online news website is owned and operated by Becky Watts. The Editor can be reached at 770-468-7583 or at editor(at)PikeCountyTimes(dot)com. Pike County Times is a website for citizens to keep up with local events and stay informed about Pike County government. It began on November 13, 2006 as a watchdog on county government and has turned into an online newspaper.

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Pre-Release Facility Becomes an Integrated Treatment Facility
By Editor Becky Watts

ZEBULON - Many local and state officials gathered in Zebulon last week to celebrate the opening of the first dual diagnosis treatment facility in the state of Georgia. With the snip of a ribbon, many months of preparation became reality as West Central Pre-Release Facility officially made the transition to become the West Central Integrated Treatment Facility.

West Central has served the State of Georgia and the Department of Corrections in a variety of ways from a prison to it current status as a dual diagnosis treatment facility. Its status has changed five times since opening in 1990. West Central was even scheduled to close in January of 2012 before being notified in November of 2011 about the change in status that was coming to the facility.

Prior to the changes that are being implemented with this facility for female inmates and another in Appling for male inmates, there were few treatment options available to those who were entering the prison system in Georgia. West Central Integrated Treatment Facility is the first facility in the state of Georgia to provide a program that will address substance abuse and mental illness at the same time. Assistant Commissioner Timothy C. Ward described the transition as “…a great day for corrections.”

This Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Center program is a highly structured residential program that will target offenders nearing release, probationers sentenced by the courts, parole revocators and other court referrals that have a need for intensive substance treatment. The Integrated Treatment Plan is a nine month program that actively combines interventions intended to address substance abuse and mental disorders in order to treat both disorders, related problems, and the whole person effectively.

Specific types of disorders that will be treated at this facility include: dual diagnosis, which is the occurrence of a substance abuse problem and a psychiatric disorder such as depression or bipolar disorder.

Board members Justin Wheaton and Carl Franklin spoke about the program during the ceremony. Mr. Wheaton described this program as an opportunity to correct behavior. Mr. Franklin said that Georgia tried two strikes and you’re out and it just didn’t work. He said that a lot of thought has gone into this “very bold approach” and that he thinks that it will work.

Brian Owens, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections, gave credit to Governor Nathan Deal for making this program possible and said that this will offer real, meaningful alternatives to the District Attorney for non-violent offenders who suffer from mental illness and addiction. "This facility will treat their mental illness and their addictions so we can get them back to their homes and back into their communities where they belong,” said Commissioner Owens.

“This facility is the first in the state of Georgia and maybe in the nation,” said Commissioner Owens. He expressed his appreciation to this community, the staff of West Central Integrated Treatment Facility and to Spectrum Health Services which will be working with the facility to provide needed services to inmates.

Warden Edd Sanders gave further details on this residential treatment program by saying that the target population will be female probationers with substance abuse and dual diagnosis. “[Inmates] will be targeted toward our work details as well as educational and vocational training,” he said. Inmates will head a regular schedule with full days from 7:00 AM or earlier until at least 5:30 PM Monday through Thursday. Their day will consist of a split schedule with ½ their day involved in their program and the other ½ day will be working. Inmates will be taught how to effectively deal with a substance abuse problem so they can return to their community and be a productive part of that community.

7.25.12
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