Spero Health a beacon of hope for those lost in addiction
Stormy Barnes, facility administrator for the Parkersburg office, sits next to a display of the company’s core values. (Photo by Ashley Knight)
The Spero Health waiting room is ready for patients. (Photo by Ashley Knight)
Spero Health, an outpatient addiction treatment facility, is located at 2 Fergueson Dr. in Parkersburg. (Photo by Ashley Knight)
Stormy Barnes, facility administrator for the Parkersburg office, sits next to a display of the company’s core values. (Photo by Ashley Knight)
The Spero Health waiting room is ready for patients. (Photo by Ashley Knight)
Spero Health, an outpatient addiction treatment facility, is located at 2 Fergueson Dr. in Parkersburg. (Photo by Ashley Knight)
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PARKERSBURG -- Spero Health is an outpatient medically assisted treatment facility that's changing the scene with its harm-reduction philosophy and mission aligned with the facility administrator, Stormy Barnes, who has a personal stake in this industry.
"Spero means so much to me because their mission is saving lives, instilling hope, and restoring relationships," said Barnes.
The harm reduction policy is to, "reduce the deaths and celebrate the little wins," Barnes says "we are trying to change people and transition them back into a normal lifestyle, some never fully recover but compared to day one, they take a 180-degree turn, and are fully functional."
"I felt like this was what I needed to do," Barnes said. "My entire life I've been faced with addiction, you find yourself saying things like, you should love me enough to stop getting high or if you loved me you wouldn't do this, but then I found myself understanding that it changed him and my mother, it changed who they were," Barnes said.
In 2012 Barnes married a man who struggled with substance abuse their entire relationship, "Meth, heroin, fentanyl, pills, anything he could get his hands on," said Barned "I watched him get clean, use again, go to detox and go to inpatient. We did the roller coaster for 10 years."
Barnes's husband passed away three years ago just after leaving treatment days earlier; he was on his way home after obtaining drugs when he died in a car accident.
Barnes was a former parole officer and turned her sights to mental health, "I just want to help people," Barnes says. She was looking for a position after she moved to Marietta, to get back into substance addiction medicine when she came upon the facility administrator position and stepped into it, "I felt like that was him," Barnes says.
Spero offers group and individual counseling, IOP, family group, provider appointments, case management, and peer support services. They take a variety of insurances including state medical insurance from Ohio and West Virginia. They accept walk-ins and are required to see patients on a next-day basis, providing those struggling with immediate new patient appointments. "Usually, when a patient is ready to come in, they are ready right now to get it resolved," said Barnes.
Spero offers group and individual counseling, IOP, family group, provider appointments, case management, and peer support services. They take a variety of insurances including state medical insurance from Ohio and West Virginia.
Having W.Va. licensed clinicians and providers give them this flexibility, they are the only one that offer this option, catering to their patient's needs. They also make available what Barnes calls the Hep C Squad, once a month to do HEP C and HIV testing and treatment.
"You can come right in and get tested, if your test is positive for HIV or Hep C, central outreach will set up the medication to be delivered directly to the patient's house and it's completely free," says Barnes
The facility offers an atmosphere that's compassionate, empathetic, and accepting. Hosting events for holidays and different occasions.
"We will find any reason to do something together, we try to do a lot of fun things with our patients because we care and want to show them its normal for people to interact with them and not treat them with stigma because they are normal," Barnes said.
"My staff are hand selected for greatness." Barns said. "We, operate together as a team, one of the questions I ask in my interview process is, have you been affected by substance abuse?" "I feel it takes a special person to work in this field, there is a lot of stigma around addiction a lot of people look at it like a choice; I need a team who is open and very empathetic and compassionate because if not, our patients are going to see and feel it coming through the door." Said Barnes." I try to build a connection with everyone that comes through the door."
Spero Health is making waves in our area and medically assisted addiction treatment. Providing the community, a place for addicts to come and begin the transition towards a changed lifestyle.
Saving lives is the hope for this facility, its administrator, and its staff. Connecting patients with people who care. "Changing lives, giving hope, and repairing relationships, is what I live by," said Barnes. Spero Health just may be what saves the life of someone you know.
Ashley Knight can be reached at aknight@newsandsentinel.com