Providing a critical service

DOVER — Nine years ago, Danielle Parisi was able to kick her opiate habit when she was pregnant with her first child. But when she was discharged from the hospital after giving birth, she was prescribed Percocet by her doctor.

In the years since, Parisi has seen the inside of several sober living and recovery facilities across the state. And while she’s remained steadfast and hopeful, many exits from the facilities have resulted in heroin relapses.

On June 10, she checked into Southeastern New Hampshire Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, located in the county complex in Dover. Her discharge date is Sept. 7.

Parisi joined a celebration Thursday marking SENHS’ 40th anniversary. The nonprofit, which contracts with the state, provides both in-patient and out-patient services to individuals struggling with alcohol and drug abuse. The agency opened in 1979.

“It’s amazing,” Parisi said. “The support we have here for one another, we call it a ‘turning point family.’ It’s been a great learning experience for me.”

Parisi said once discharged, she hopes to work toward getting her own place, and spending weekends with her daughter, who is now 9 and living with Parisi’s parents.

Denise Elwart, operations director for SENHS, said Thursday’s outdoor barbecue was a “celebration of our employees and clients.” Over the last five years, the facility has been besieged by the state’s opioid crisis, and also overcame a possibility of closure.

Dr. Larry Kane, who serves on the agency’s board of directors, said SENHS provides a “critical service.”

“The staff need to be celebrated for this hard work,” Kane said. “It’s difficult work, but rewarding.”

Kane said most of SENHS’ clients are young people who have been in rehab before. “The fact that they’re alive means something good happened, and that they’re here is also remarkable,” Kane said. “They have a chance moving their lives forward.”

While SENHS has been in operation for 40 years, Kane said the organization has remained “kind of invisible.” He cited a recent meeting he attended with 30 police chiefs from across the region – several didn't know about SENHS and its services, he said.

When the opioid crisis struck, the facility ran into financial difficulties.

“For a long time, the opioid crisis was talked about, but the money wasn’t being provided,” Kane said. “Now we’re ready to keep moving forward.”

Brandy Dibble, SENHS billing specialist, said she is “hopeful” for the future of SENHS. She noted last September the state approved an additional $100 per day for Medicaid clients with opioids listed as their No. 1 health issue. For SENHS, that’s $50,000 more a month.

“The state is on the right path,” Dibble said.

Three years ago, said state Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, the facility was at-risk of closure due to renovations that needed to be completed in order to maintain operations. Both the state and county pitched in to keep the programs up and running, he said.

“This is an essential piece of the recovery network,” Watters said.

SENHS has a 28-bed contract with the state, where qualifying clients can live for up to 90 days. Currently, 24 beds are filled.

According to Dibble, the latest and most prevalent monster the agency is facing is fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 10 times stronger than heroin.

“Fentanyl is really the drug that is killing people,” she said.

Data released Thursday by the state's Office of Chief Medical Examiner showed out of 184 drug deaths so far in 2019, 49 were caused by fentanyl alone, and 105 by fentanyl and other drugs, excluding heroin.

Of the 60% of clients at SENHS for drug abuse reasons, versus alcohol, 40% of them are fentanyl users, Dibble said. Clients who enter the residential program must be 18 and older and have previously completed a 28-day high-intensity treatment program.

Men and women are separated on two residential floors, which each have a community room, clinician and case manager. Meals are provided from the Riverside Rest Home next door, but Dibble said all clients are encouraged to work and buy their own food. Only 10% of clients have their own vehicle, but the facility is located on a bus line.

“This facility has done amazing things,” said Dover Mayor Karen Weston. “They want people to become productive citizens, which should be one of the main goals of any type of facility like this.”

Weston, who co-owns Janetos Market in town, said she has hired people who have successfully completed SENHS’ programs.