Recovery Medicine
Two fundraisers this weekend are being held to help provide financial assistance to people unable to afford inpatient treatment for substance abuse at Gate Lodge Hanley Center.
From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, the Gate Lodge Hanley Center Celebrates Hope Dance will be held at Costa d'Este Hotel, 3244 Ocean Drive. Attire is semi-formal. There will be appetizers and entertainment provided by Broadway touring actors from Dragonfly Productions. Tickets are $50 per person.
From 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Vero Quest will lead attendees at a spiritual brunch and workshop titled Embracing the Aspects of Change. Tickets are $25 per person.
For information call Kathy Hurt at 772-617-1721.
VERO BEACH — The cost of recovery from substance addiction is proving too much for many residents.
Gate Lodge Hanley Center turns away two to three people a week who are seeking treatment at its facility at 3395 11th Court, southwest of Indian River Medical Center. This weekend, fundraisers will be held to try to provide assistance for some of these people.
The center, is a not-for-profit treatment facility, provides a 28-day inpatient program for adults suffering from addiction. The majority of the patients these days are addicted to prescription pain medications, according to Kathy Hurt, the center's director of development.
Hanley Center charges $4,200 for treatment, which Hurt has said is lower than many other private centers in the area. Patients who are unable to receive treatment at the center are referred to publicly supported centers, she said.
According to Hurt, there is less than a handful of these centers within 150 miles, One of these, New Horizons of the Treasure Coast, has only a half dozen beds in its 28-day treatment program.
At one time, Hanley Hall was able to provide a limited number of partial scholarships to help some of the people seeking treatment who couldn't pay the full cost. Hurt said that money is long gone because of the increased demand for assistance, primarily fueled by those seeking treatment for prescription drug abuse.
This weekend, a series of events are being held to raise funds for the Jay Morgan Scholarship Fund for Gate Lodge Hanley Center at Vero Beach.
Late Indian River County Firefighter John "Jay" Morgan made it one of his missions to try to provide treatment for such people after a person he took to Hanley Hall was turned away for lack of money, said Hurt.