By Dr. Danielle Anderson and Dr. Gopalkumar Rakesh
University of Kentucky
Asking for help with substance use can be difficult but figuring out where to turn for that help shouldn’t be.
UK HealthCare’s Supportive Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Treatment (SMART) Clinic provides addiction treatment alongside psychiatric and routine healthcare. The SMART Clinic’s team of providers specializing in addiction address not only substance use but also mental and physical health concerns that may affect a person’s recovery.
The SMART Clinic treats people experiencing alcohol and substance use disorders, including disorders involving opioids, benzodiazepines, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Patients can receive addiction treatment, psychiatric care, primary care, therapy and medication management through the program. Treatment can also address conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder.
This approach recognizes that substance use does not always occur in isolation. Mental health concerns and past trauma can contribute to addiction or make recovery more challenging, which is why the SMART Clinic incorporates mental health treatment into its approach to recovery.
Most importantly, patients do not need a referral to seek care at the SMART Clinic. Patients can self-refer or receive a provider referral and typically can be seen within three days.
When someone calls for an appointment, clinic staff ask about the person’s history of substance use and what they are looking for from treatment so they can be paired with an appropriate provider. During the first appointment, patients will meet with core members of the care team to discuss their needs and determine a path forward.
Steps to take when seeking help for addiction
• Recognize the need for help. Recognizing that substance use may be affecting a person’s health, relationships, work or daily life.
• Talk to a health care professional. Reach out to the SMART Clinic, no referral necessary. Call 859-562-2356.
• Find the right treatment and support. The SMART Clinic can create treatment plans tailored to the individual’s substance use, health needs, circumstances and recovery goals.
• Build a support system and plan for ongoing recovery. The SMART Clinic can help arrange counseling, follow-up appointments, medications when appropriate. It’s important to note a return to substance use does not mean treatment has failed. It may mean the treatment plan needs to be reassessed or adjusted.
The SMART Clinic is located at UK HealthCare’s Fountain Court facility, 245 Fountain Court, in Lexington. Appointments can be made by calling 859-562-2356, and no referral is required.
If there is an immediate crisis: If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Dr. Danielle Anderson, M.D., is an addiction and family medicine doctor at UK’s SMART Clinic and Dr. Gopalkumar Rakesh, M.D., is a psychiatry and addiction medicine doctor at University of Kentucky’s Supportive Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Treatment Clinic.