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December 19, 2018

MNRC Creatively Expands its Substance Abuse Services

This fall, Mission Neighborhood Resource Center (MNRC), with the aid of a federal grant from the Health Resources Services Administration, expanded its substance abuse services.  Ron Chornow, a certified substance abuse counselor with over 20 years experience, joined the team to provide a unique and creative program based on the harm reduction philosophy.  The goal of the program is to provide counseling services and wraparound services for clients with substance abuse challenges.

Harm reduction, as defined by the Harm Reduction Coalition (www. harmreduction.org) is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use. It is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs. Harm reduction incorporates a spectrum of strategies from safer use, to managed use to abstinence to meet drug users “where they are,” addressing conditions of use along with the use itself.

Employing the principles of harm reduction in his approach, Ron, in addition to one-on-one counseling, creates space for patients to heal via a drum playing group, an art group and harm reduction group.

“My approach is to treat everyone with respect and dignity,” said Ron. “ I meet everyone ‘where they are’ and assume that everyone is capable of making health choices leading to positive change.”  Using the tools of behavioral change models and motivational interviewing, Ron is able to evaluate and assess each patient individually so that together they can create a plan of action and he can refer them appropriately to the many resources available at MNRC.

“Ron has been incredibly impactful in reaching our clients in the short time he has been here,” said Ruth Nunez, Director of Homeless Services, at MNRC. “His empathy and creativity strikes a chord with clients who previously have been unreachable.”

Currently MNRC treats some clients with Suboxone®, a prescription medicine to treat opioid dependence.  The hope is that over time this modality will help clients work through some of their substance abuse challenges. By collecting metrics such as Suboxone® treatment and other measures, MNRC staff plans to be able to measure the success of the program over time.

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