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SMH Addiction and Internal Medicine Clinic caring for the whole patient
Published
2 years agoon
The Sheridan Memorial Hospital Addiction and Internal Medicine Clinic utilizes the use of medications, in combination with counseling and other therapeutic techniques, to provide a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of substance use disorders.
Successfully treating addiction for 10 years, Dr. Jason Ackerman, MD is the leader of the team at SMH Addiction and Internal Medicine Clinic and is board certified in Addiction and Internal Medicines.
Dr. Ackerman told listeners of Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse program what the team and many other professionals define as addiction.
Utilizing the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) approach to treating addiction in partnership with Northern Wyoming Mental Health allows the SMH Addiction and Internal Medicine Clinic to treat the patient physically and mentally, including primary care.
In 2021, Wyoming suffered 71 opioid overdose deaths, accounting for 65% of all drug overdose deaths in the Cowboy State. Treating the medical concerns or problems of patients with an opioid addiction means addressing issues and treatments differently than traditional medicine may prescribe. The team at the SMH Addiction and Internal Medicine Clinic takes these factors into account and treats patients accordingly.
According to Dr. Ackerman, with the advances in medicine and modern knowledge, addiction can be treated like the disease it is while the patient retains their dignity as they continue their journey to a better life.
No referral is needed to make an appointment with the SMH Addiction and Internal Medicine Clinic, call 307-675-2674, or visit the Outpatient Center at 1333 West 5th St. Suite 200 in
Sheridan.
Sheila Simpson
May 11, 2023 at 8:41 am
while this is a step in the right direction for addiction, the comment of treatment while allowing the patient to retain their dignity, also needs to apply to long-term chronic pain patients with debilitating conditions and diseases that are not going away or getting better. Many have been denied the treatment they need to have some quality of life and control of their pain. I speak from experience.