West Park Hospital | 2015 Progress Report

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self-control and hamper his
or her ability to resist intense
impulses to take drugs.
Drugs and alcohol con-
tain chemicals that tap into
the brain’s communication
system and disrupt the way
nerve cells normally send,
receive and process informa-
tion. They cause this disrup-
tion by imitating the brain’s
natural chemical messengers
and by overstimulating the
“reward circuit” of the brain.
The overstimulation of this
reward system, which normal-
ly responds to natural behav-
iors linked to survival (eat-
ing, spending time with loved
ones), produces euphoric
effects in response. Basically,
drugs or alcohol have high-
jacked the brain’s natural
motivational control circuits,
resulting in substance use
becoming the sole, or at least
the top, motivational priority
for the individual.
“For most of us when we
try something and suffer the
consequences we stop doing it,
but for 8-10 percent of people,
taking drugs or alcohol releas-
es serotonin and eventually
fuses the pleasure and sur-
vival systems of the brain,”
Snelson says. “They’re predis-
posed to addiction.”
New location
This summer CMC will
move to its new location on
the third floor of the hospital.
This former patient area
is being remodeled and will
include rooms for 16 patients,
group rooms, study areas and
staff offices.
“Renovation started in
February and we hope to
move in by September,” Snel-
son says.
The current dorm was
built in the early 1970s. The
new rooms will allow for more
advanced patient treatment.
Rooms also each will have a
bathroom/shower facility, as
well as views of Carter Moun-
tain.
The new space will provide
more room for group sessions
and will be more comfortable
for the three-day family ses-
sions which are part of the
program.
CMC’s former log office
building located next to the
hospital has been removed
and the space will be turned
into additional parking for
patients and visitors.
Cody Progress Edition - Thursday, March 19, 2015 - D-3
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Cedar Mountain moves to nicer location
The staff at Cedar Moun-
tain Center (CMC) be-
lieves all individuals
are worthy and capable of
constructing and enjoying a
productive, rewarding life.
CMC is a 16-bed inpatient
chemical dependency treat-
ment center dedicated to
resolving the complex and
sometimes overwhelming
issues related to alcohol and
drug addiction. It has been
serving the community and
surrounding areas for about
35 years and has treated more
than 3,000 patients.
“We’ve been changing peo-
ple’s lives for more than 30
years,” clinical administration
director Fred Snelson says.
Inpatient treatment is
designed to meet the needs
of the individual and level of
severity of the illness. Quali-
fied staff provides intake,
assessment and treatment
goal planning with the indi-
vidual.
CMC has access to state-
of-the-art health care servic-
es and has the capability of
managing detox from alcohol
and drugs. During the course
of treatment, each patient
will work with a counselor
to develop an individualized
treatment plan. Treatment
includes individual counsel-
ing, group therapy, education
sessions, 12-step meetings
and recreational activities.
Psychiatrist Dr. Scott Pol-
lard, M.D., also is able to
treat co-occurring disorders
simultaneously while treating
addiction. These can include
depression, PTSD and ADHD.
Length of treatment varies
according to individual needs,
but tends to run 30-40 days.
After inpatient treatment,
patients are referred for con-
tinuing care in an outpatient
setting.
People can self-refer them-
selves to the program or be
referred by a doctor or other
agency. If referring them-
selves they just need to com-
plete an Addiction Sever-
ity Index which is offered
through outpatient services at
the Cathcart Health Center.
“Most patients come from
outside Cody and are referred
by other agencies who send us
a compete ASI report,” Snel-
son said.
Research shows that when
appropriate treatment is
given and clients follow the
prescribed program, treat-
ment does work.
Addiction is considered a
brain disease. In response to
drug use over time, the brain
changes and that leads to a
person’s loss of self-control
and ability to make good deci-
sions and prompts intense
cravings and urges to use
drugs or alcohol.
Through a combination of
the appropriate treatment,
behavioral therapy and some-
times medication, recovery
can be achieved. But depend-
ing on the extent of drug or
alcohol abuse, people may
have to go through treatment
more than once before they
are in full recovery.
“Once in a while we run
into former patients,” Snel-
son says. “Their lives have
changed and it’s great to
know they’re doing well.”
Addiction is a disease
Many people do not under-
stand why or how other peo-
ple become addicted to drugs.
It often is mistakenly
assumed that drug abusers
lack moral principles or will-
power and that they could
stop using drugs simply by
choosing to change their
behavior. In reality, drug
addiction is a complex disease,
and quitting takes more than
good intentions or a strong
will. In fact, because drugs
change the brain in ways that
foster compulsive drug abuse,
quitting is difficult, even for
those who are ready to do so.
“In the last 10 years
research has showed that
chemical dependency is a dis-
ease,” Snelson says.
Addiction is a chronic,
often relapsing, brain disease
that causes compulsive drug
or alcohol seeking and use,
despite harmful consequenc-
es to the addicted individual
and those around him or her.
Although the initial decision
to take drugs is voluntary for
most people, the brain chang-
es that occur over time chal-
lenge an addicted person’s
Cedar Mountain Center staffers include (front, from left) Terri Moran, Mary Jones, Lisa Shepherd, Fred
Snelson (back) Mary Stroble, Tomi Baker and Michelle Brenner.
“
”
Fred Snelson,
Clinical administration director
Research has shown that
chemical dependency is a disease.