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As an integrated behavioral health care provider, Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC) works on prevention efforts with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). As a nonprofit organization, TTC freely provides substance use disorder (SUD) prevention workshops for students and training for faculty. Moreover, these workshops also focus on approaches to early intervention. Hence, the goal is to educate and raise awareness, thus saving young lives.

When TTC counselors and outreach staff enter the schools, they often speak in assemblies and weekly workshops, utilizing an evidence-based curriculum with middle and high school students. As health educators, they connect with the youth by telling stories, presenting factual data, and offering multimedia presentations. Knowing that 21st-century kids tend to get distracted, the goal is to keep their attention by connecting with their self-interests. When youth realize the dangers and hear the realities of what is happening across the country, their eyes open. In other words, they listen and pay attention.

TTC Prevention Efforts in the LAUSD System

As TTC Program Operations Supervisor of these outreach programs, Mark Winkler believes the efforts are making a difference. He passionately expresses, “We go into these schools to help these kids survive in a dangerous world. As a father of three girls, I know how parents feel and the potential threats. In many instances, it is clear we are making a difference. If one life is saved and one child receives help, our effort is more than worthwhile. At the same time, I want to continue to spread the message and let parents know that affordable resources are readily available at Tarzana Treatment Centers.”

As an integrated behavioral healthcare organization, TTC offers SUD treatment services for youth. Unlike many recovery centers, TTC has a long tradition of providing youth treatment services for SUD challenges. Both affordable and evidence-based, the TTC Youth and Family Services Treatment Program offers residential and outpatient options. The question is how to raise awareness with families in need. How do you access parents and caregivers in dire straits in a noisy popular culture?

Memorandum of Understanding & Prevention

Working in the context of LAUSD is a big step in the right direction. The working relationship began with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU states clearly, “The purpose of this memorandum of understanding is to Establish a partnership that addresses and prevents underage drinking and/or the use/abuse of illicit substances in the local community. The collaboration will promote student and community wellness through education, prevention, resource development, and referral support.”

Indeed, resource development and referral support are a huge part of promoting student and community wellness. In too many LAUSD schools, students come from families that lack access to traditional recovery resources. Hence, even when a child is starting to cross the line and experiment with drugs, parents are hesitant to reach out for help. Without financial resources and not confident of their insurance options, they fear the cost.

Prevention Efforts Reveal Treatment Void

While TTC is a capable provider of prevention and early intervention education for students, there remains an awareness that some students need more help. With drug overdoses surpassing car accidents as the number one cause of accidental death of young people, the dangers are more significant today than ever before. Thus, parents cannot take the chance to roll the dice. Hence, the critical step is to make sure parents are aware of treatment resources. At TTC, the available SUD treatment options are both high-quality, available, and affordable.

Moreover, TTC remains one of the only treatment centers that provides Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT) for youth. Knowing the dangers of opioid overdose amid the fentanyl abuse crisis, TTC knows that sustainable recovery is an issue of life and death. Evidence-based treatments like MAT Services save the lives of young people.

Therefore, as expressed on the MAT Services page on the TTC website, “Medications for Addiction Treatment options like Suboxone, Sublocade, Vivitrol, Buprenorphine, Methadone, and Naltrexone are safe and effective treatments. Additionally, the Methadone and Buprenorphine Maintenance Programs at TTC help people avoid the dangers of relapse in early recovery. Although mainly tailored to heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid users, MAT services also are used to prevent alcohol relapses.”

MAT Services at Tarzana Treatment Centers:

• Inpatient Withdrawal Management (Medical Detox)
• Outpatient and Residential Withdrawal Management (Detoxification)
• Opiate Treatment Programs
• Outpatient MAT Programs combined with SUD Behavioral Care
• Primary Care-Based MAT Services

MAT Services improve recovery outcomes in combination with therapeutic counseling and residential treatment for youth. At the same time, these life-saving medications also are used in outpatient settings for youth under strict supervision. In TTC’s SUD residential and outpatient services treatment settings in the Antelope Valley, slots are open for young people and adults to receive the help they need to recover from substance use disorders.

Tarzana Treatment Centers and Youth Services

Overall, Tarzana Treatment Centers is proud of the work under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with LAUSD. At schools across Los Angeles County, a powerful message of prevention and early intervention is being conveyed.

Beyond this success, however, the essential message of the affordability and availability of Youth Treatment Services, including MAT Services, must be communicated to parents, caregivers, and medical professionals. With so many young lives lost daily, the critical importance of accessing recovery services is paramount. Please get in touch with us now to learn more about how TTC can help your child and your family.