Kokomo — An Indianapolis-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization has opened a satellite office in Kokomo, representatives from the non-profit said Tuesday.
Fairbanks Addiction Treatment Center opened an office on the second floor of the United Way of Howard County’s building in downtown Kokomo, 210 W. Walnut St. The office opened Feb. 28 and outpatient services began Monday in Kokomo.
Kokomo’s office will handle inquiries about rehabilitation services, assess prospective patients for what types of services they might need and either refer them to a program or begin outpatient treatment.
“The most important reason that we’re here is to help people get their lives recovered, people that are having trouble with drugs and or alcohol,” said Chuck McCoskey, program coordinator for Fairbanks of Kokomo. “That’s the reason why we’re on the planet, why Fairbanks is on the planet.”
People who contact Fairbanks of Kokomo — the phone number is 765-236-0313 — can inquire about programs and set up an assessment.
During assessments, McCoskey, a licensed clinical addictions counselor, will determine what types of treatments might be needed.
After psychological and sociological examinations, McCoskey said, he decides whether he needs to refer people to one of Fairbanks’ programs, such as inpatient detox, in Indianapolis. Information on Fairbanks’ programs is available at www.fairbankscd.org.
When appropriate, McCoskey sets up outpatient programs for adults with addictions. Adolescents are referred to another program.
Outpatient programs typically consist of three-hour therapy sessions three times a week. They usually last six weeks.
Robin Parsons, director of adult services for Fairbanks, said Kokomo is home to the first satellite office since the 1990s for the Indianapolis non-profit. Fairbanks plans to expand to more cities outside Marion County, she said.
“What we recognized is a lot of our clients come from outlying counties,” she said. “Kokomo has been an important population for quite a while. What we talked about for a really, really long time, was we needed to be in some of these communities. Once a person leaves inpatient [rehabilitation], the recovery from addiction is a life-long process.”
Fairbanks estimates it will maintain outpatient treatment groups of 12 to 15 people at the Kokomo office. The organization could add more staff if the program expands, Parsons said.
Fairbanks of Kokomo, at this time, does not accept Medicare or Medicaid insurance, she said.
• Daniel Human is the Kokomo Tribune business reporter. He can be reached at 765-454-8570 or at daniel.human@kokomotribune.com.
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