Ozark Center’s drug treatment center gets upgrade

JOPLIN, Mo. – Ozark Center New Directions has a new address.

The drug treatment center recently relocated to a larger building at 3220 S. Wisconsin Ave. in Joplin. The move allows for increased capacity for its Outpatient Substance Use treatment services.

The reasons behind the move, said Vicky Mieseler, Chief Administrative Officer for Ozark Center, are becoming more and more evident with each passing year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 75 percent of the more than 90,000 drug overdose deaths in 2020 involved an opioid, while more than 82 percent of those opioid deaths involved synthetic opioids and added mixtures such as fentanyl and xylazine.

“With these increased risks across the nation coming into our area, Ozark Center is staying ahead of this deadly trend by providing evaluation and treatment services for a broad range of substances, including Medication Assisted Treatment options (such as buprenorphine, which lowers opioid cravings), overdose education and access to Narcan, for clients and their families,” Mieseler said.

New Directions provides substance use services, treatment, and support networks for Joplin area residents beneath an umbrella of separate-but-interrelated components, including substance use, recovery support and anger management programs.

Overall, the Wisconsin Avenue location has triple the amount of square footage than the previous space, Mieseler said. New or relocated features include:

• A new pharmacy, complete with a drive-through window, where trained physicians, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants can prescribe medicines. The pharmacy allows patients to obtain their prescriptions while getting them filled in the same location.
• Increased capacity to help more clients seeking Medicated Assisted Treatment options, with nursing support space quadrupled.
• The expanded space allows for two large, open client lobbies, spacious hallways, new group rooms, and larger treatment offices.
• The Resident Psychiatrist training facility – which trains and educates psychiatrists to provide excellent care – features a state-of-the-art learning environment with a lecture hall, recreation room and library. Overall, the number of psychiatrist residents will increase from 12 to 16.

“The new building increases the opportunity for us to provide cutting-edge treatment options in reducing substance use impact in our community,” Mieseler said.