ARLINGTON, TX--(Marketwired - May 01, 2017) - CleanSlate Centers, a leader in providing care to those suffering from opioid and alcohol addiction, announced today the company continues to expand local access to safe, effective, physician-led treatment with the opening of the first of three outpatient centers slated for Texas. The first center, located at 2912 Kraft Street in Arlington, will begin seeing patients May 1.
In addition, CleanSlate continues to underscore its commitment to expanding access to all of those in need safe, effective treatment. CleanSlate team members will work with patients and all insurance plans in Texas with the goal of treating all people seeking treatment for opioid addiction.
Founded in 2009 in response to the growing opioid epidemic facing the country, CleanSlate has treated more than 14,000 patients in some of the states hit hardest by the opioid epidemic. The Arlington center represents the organization's first in Texas, which ranks 7th in the nation in opioid-related overdose deaths. The company has plans for two additional Texas centers in 2017, in Dallas and Keller.
"The need for a better approach to managing this disease and increasing access is the reason CleanSlate was founded, and we are pleased to now be able to offer hope for more people in Texas," said Greg Marotta, President and CEO of CleanSlate Centers. "It's impossible to fight this disease alone, and we are pleased to stand side-by-side with important partners in Texas. We look forward to deepening our relationships in the community as we all work together to beat back this devastating epidemic that does not discriminate."
The number of opioid-related deaths in Texas continues to climb each year. The rate of drug overdose deaths in Texas has increased 80 percent since 1999. In addition to the catastrophic cost of human life, the healthcare costs of opioid abuse in Texas topped $1.9 billion in 2015 -- the second-highest such figure in the country.
According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) -- the nation's leading addiction medicine society representing 4,000 physicians, clinicians and other professionals -- opioid addiction is defined as a primary, chronic and relapsing brain disease.
"At CleanSlate, we know that opioid addiction is best treated as the chronic disease it is," said Kelly J. Clark, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of CleanSlate and President-elect of ASAM. "We currently treat thousands of patients for opioid and alcohol addiction in a comfortable outpatient environment with a full-time, dedicated team of physicians and advanced-practice clinicians. Our ultimate goal is to help these patients achieve the life they want and deserve -- a 'clean slate' from which to thrive."