Pennsylvania Officials Tour Penn Highlands Mon Valley Substance Recovery Unit
On December 15, 2023, leaders from Penn Highlands Mon Valley hosted Dr. Latika Davis-Jones, Secretary of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Lauren Palmquist, Special Assistant, Office of the Lt. Governor, for a tour of the hospital’s new CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit.
Located on the seventh floor of the hospital, the progressive unit is the first and only Level 4.0
inpatient withdrawal and treatment facility in Washington, Westmoreland, Fayette and Greene counties. Level 4.0 treatment facilities are for patients who require more specialized care with the support of a full acute-care hospital. It will provide a 3.7 Bio Medically enhanced level of care which is the first of its kind in Western Pennsylvania. It will provide a continuum of care for people with medical conditions.
“It is exciting that you have created this unit,” said Secretary Davis-Jones while touring the unit. “You will be meeting the needs of the complex cases in this region,” she added.
When it opens later this month, the CNX Substance Recovery Unit will offer highly specialized care to medically manage patients with dignity and respect. The unit includes:
- A safe, secure and supportive environment.
- Fourteen private and spacious inpatient rooms.
- Seven ligature resistant rooms.
- Two ADA rooms.
- Two isolation/negative pressure rooms.
- Twenty-four hour access to the hospitalists, Emergency Department, Cardiac Care Unit, Behavioral Health Unit, Medical Imaging and Lab at Penn Highlands Mon Valley.
- Private Consultation Rooms.
- Comfortable Group Therapy Rooms.
- An Activity Dining Room for socialization.
- A Quiet Activity Room for meditation, reading, etc.
- A Family Interaction Room with video conferencing access.
- A “no barriers” Admissions Facilitator Liaison working in collaboration with community organizations.
“We are delighted that the DDAP Secretary and the lieutenant governor’s special assistant wanted to tour our new unit and learn more about how we will be treating people with substance use disorder,” explained Peter J. Adamo, Penn Highlands Healthcare Southwest Regional President and President of Penn Highlands Mon Valley.
Shown at the Penn Highlands Mon Valley CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit tour are (l. to r.) Lauren Palmquist, Special Assistant, Office of the Lt. Governor; Mimi Falbo, Penn Highlands Mon Valley CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit Consultant; Kelly Macheska, BSN, RN, Unit Director, CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit; Dr. Latika Davis-Jones, Secretary of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Gopi Vadlamudi, MD, Medical Director of the CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit; and Heather Franci, MBHA, BSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, Service Line Director, Heart Center, Lung Center, Brain & Spine, Oncology Services, Penn Highlands Healthcare.
Kelly Macheska, BSN, RN, Unit Director, CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit; (l.) shows the patient room arrangement to Lauren Palmquist, Special Assistant, Office of the Lt. Governor; (center) and Dr. Latika Davis-Jones, Secretary of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; as Gopi Vadlamudi, MD, Medical Director of the CNX Foundation Substance Recovery Unit, looks on from the doorway.