The Center for Addiction Treatment (CAT) has launched a $5.7 capital campaign that would triple the number of people who can get the treatment they need.
The capital campaign was announced April 29 to a standing-room-crowd at CAT’s annual pancake breakfast.
“Greater Cincinnati is at the forefront of a well-documented, and unprecedented drug epidemic,” said CAT president and CEO Sandi Kuehn.
“Lives are on the line. It is essential that we put recovery within reach for those needing help.”
The new funds would add treatment capacity by:
- Constructing a 17,000-square-foot building that will house all of the center’s outpatient services and a new primary healthcare clinic.
- Retrofitting the existing building to expand detox and residential services.
Kuehn called lack of capacity “the single biggest barrier” to accessing treatment. “This plan helps with that. No one wanting help should have to be put on a waiting list.”
CAT currently serves more than 1,700 patients annually. The added capacity would mean 6,000 could be served through the center’s core programs and the new primary healthcare clinic.
The campaign is at 58 percent of its goal thanks to several large gifts received before the public launch. A total of $1.3M has been committed, with an additional $2M designated in the Ohio State Capital budget for the project.
Gifts to the campaign include:
- The Spaulding Foundation: $500,000
- Deaconess Health Associations Foundation: $300,000
- City of Cincinnati: $125,000
Additionally, Bethesda Inc. has granted $150,000 to enhance the center’s staffing and training of its primary healthcare clinic.
“The training and staffing model that CAT is exploring … is unique and could have a lasting impact on the way healthcare is delivered to vulnerable populations,” said Jill Miller, executive director or Bethesda Inc., who “believes fueling this project will equip primary care physicians to better treat patients battling addiction, and in turn support the community.”
Though CAT currently offers a cadre of programs for addicted individuals and their families, expanding the medical detox, short-term residential, and MAT programs is considered key to breaking the cycle of addiction.
“The Spaulding Foundation has supported the work that CAT has done for many years. Medically monitored detox, along with all the programs that CAT offers, are critical to the needs of our region. It’s through programs like CAT’s that we can help to save so many of those that want to reclaim their lives from heroin” said John Prather, president.
“I am inspired by the vision and leadership that CAT is demonstrating through the inclusion of a primary health care clinic,” said Tony Woods, president of the Deaconess Health Associations Foundation whose $300,000 grant will help to fund the primary health care component. “Providing a place where patients can come and be treated for their underlying problems – which many times are masked or compounded by their addiction issues – is very significant for our community.”
Construction should be completed in 10-12 months.
About CAT
Since 1970, the Center for Addiction Treatment (CAT) has provided treatment for patients with addiction to drugs, alcohol or gambling. As the only non-hospital-based medically monitored detox facility in the region, CAT provides individualized care through short-term residential and intensive outpatient services, medication-assisted treatment, counseling, a continuing care program and a comprehensive family education program. CAT has thousands of alums who are on the path to recovery and leading sober lives.
The campaign: www.catsober.org/lead-the-change-capital-campaign/
Addiction services: www.catsober.org