Centers of Excellence

Centers of Excellence can help you get treatment for an opioid use disorder. People with an opioid use disorder use pain pills (either prescribed or not prescribed), heroin, or other opiates (like fentanyl or codeine). The Centers are a system of health care providers – like doctors, therapists, and hospitals.

Centers of Excellence treat the “whole person,” not just the substance use disorder. They treat other physical or behavioral health conditions that you might have, too. They make sure that you stay in treatment, get follow-up care, and have support in your community.

Medication-Assisted Treatment
One way Centers of Excellence treat an opioid use disorder is through medication-assisted treatment (MAT). MAT uses medicine and counseling to help you manage your substance use disorder so you can recover. The medicine helps to ease cravings and withdrawal symptoms and prevent you from relapsing.

How to Get Help at a Center of Excellence
You do not have to physically go to one of the Centers of Excellence locations to get treatment. You can go to your primary care doctor first to get help. With your consent (permission), someone at the doctor’s office can contact the Center of Excellence team to let them know you are looking for treatment. The team organizes your care and finds health care providers who can treat you. They also help you with community resources, like employment services and housing support. The Centers of Excellence team makes sure you get on the right path toward recovery.

All of the Centers of Excellence in Pennsylvania are listed on the Department of Human Services website.

For more information about Centers of Excellence, call us.