At The Empowerment Center, we provide wrap-around services for women struggling with addiction – including medical care! It’s one of our fastest growing sets of supportive programs, and one that makes our care model truly unique.
Nearly all the women entering treatment at The Empowerment Center have co-occurring mental health disorders, most have experienced significant traumas, and many are benefiting from Medication Assisted Treatment. To improve their access to care, we’re working with Brianna Surgento, our Medical Director and a Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, to manage their medications.
And that’s just the beginning! With the completion of Marvel Way Phase II, our new sober apartment complex, we’ll be opening an on-site medical clinic. At the new clinic, we’ll have space to address both physical and psychiatric care in an even bigger way – including bringing on a Primary Care Provider to support all our clients, as well as their families, in the most convenient place possible. Right down the hall.
Keep reading to learn more about Brianna Surgento, our medical care programs, and how we’re expanding our services at The Empowerment Center and Marvel Way.
Why Providing Medical Services is Important
Of the women entering treatment at The Empowerment Center, 95.4% have co-occurring mental health disorders. What’s more, 77.7% have been the victim of a crime, 61.6% have been the victim of domestic violence, 57.6% have histories of self-harm or suicide attempts, and 54.3% have been the victim of sexual abuse.
Addressing these underlying issues and past traumas is a critical piece in working towards lasting sobriety. Treatment often includes a combination of individual therapy, group sessions, and medications to ease anxiety, depression, and other conditions.
Similarly, medication can be incredibly helpful in reducing cravings. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the practice of using medications like Suboxone and Naltrexone, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to help patients sustain recovery. These medications are taken daily, monitored by TEC’s staff.
Meet Brianna Surgento: Our Medical Director
Brianna Surgento has been a Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner for two years and works for a private practice. She started out as an RN, primarily caring for women and their babies after delivery. She especially enjoyed the mental health aspects of her work, such as supporting women struggling with postpartum depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. After working as a nurse for 5 years, she went back to school, earned her Master’s in Nursing, and began working at a women’s psychiatric hospital.
“I am so proud of the work we do at The Empowerment Center, and so proud to be a part of this team,” Surgento shares.
How Our Medical Program Works
To Brianna, one of the key aspects of The Empowerment Center’s medical program is its flexibility. Care is tailored specifically to the needs, and schedule, of each woman. While some women enter treatment already on medications, others do not. Surgento manages everyone’s medications, makes adjustments as needed, and sees them as frequently as is needed to ensure each client is stabilized and supported.
When women first enter treatment at TEC, they’re at our Center full-time. However, once they begin working, their schedules become more variable. Ashley Ward, an Empowerment Center Peer Support, acts as a liaison between our clients and medical provider. She keeps track of who needs appointments scheduled, helps set appointments, ensures everyone arrives on time, takes vitals, monitors medications, and handles communication with insurance companies and pharmacies.
Most of Brianna’s visits with TEC’s clients are telehealth – and she’s also onsite for in-person visits periodically. The balance between virtual care and face-to-face connections ensures that everyone receives the help they need, on a schedule that works for them. Additionally, she continues to see many of our program’s graduates for ongoing outpatient care.
Introducing: Our New Medical Clinic
One of our favorite features of our current construction projects? An onsite medical clinic!
When Marvel Way Phase II is complete, we look forward to opening a medical facility. The new space will include at least 1 primary care provider, 1 mental health provider, and 1 nurse. These clinic staff will expand our health care offerings to provide a broader range of medical services to Empowerment Center clients, program alumni, Marvel Way families, and – perhaps one day – the broader community. Roxanne DeCarlo, our Executive Director, shares, “We’re always looking for additional supportive services to provide to our community. Meeting the need for health care and mental health services has become necessary, and I’m so excited to begin offering these essential programs at Marvel Way!”
Furthermore, we’re expanding our services to feature broader support for healthy lifestyle. For many of our clients, learning how to take care of themselves and build wellness-oriented lifestyles is essential not only for maintaining sobriety, but thriving in their new, sober lives. Our programming includes nutrition education and exercise groups specially tailored to the population we support.
At The Empowerment Center, we understand that treating Substance Use Disorder isn’t simply about abstinence: it’s about respecting the whole of every individual who walks through our doors. By providing wrap-around services including psychiatric care, primary care, and other wellness resources, we’re giving our clients the tools they’ll need to become successful, contributing members of our Northern Nevada community.