Forwarding the below for wider distribution; Originally issued by the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center on July 1, 2018
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Behavioral Health welcomes drug addiction specialist
For Immediate Release
July 1, 2018
Guam has the capacity to treat substance abuse addiction.
As the Guam Police Department, along with its federal partners, continue working on illegal drug-related issues within our island, we want to remind the community that these addictions are diseases and that the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center is here to help.
Director Rey Vega said programs and staff have been revamped over the last couple of years to help our island community combat this insidious disease of drug addiction.
“We have recently employed a staff psychiatrist with forensic and addiction medicine experience,” said GBHWC Director Rey Vega. “Additionally, we have a day-outpatient clinic supervised by a physician and other paraprofessionals where we are doing medication assisted treatment.”
He said the month-old program has seen an increase in patients already.
“Addiction is a disease, that’s why we have clinicians who can help them. You want to help people get free of the disease and take back control of their lives,” he stated. “When we talk about ridding our island of drugs, this type of help is a large component in that war against drugs.”
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