ADRIAN — At the start of the year, Lenawee County patients seeking dedicated, medication assisted treatment for substance use disorder needed to look elsewhere. It was a big problem, one that the founders of Pillar Recovery Services in Adrian have been working hard to solve.
Pillar opened on Feb. 18, aiming to be the “missing piece” for those struggling with addiction in Lenawee County. It’s a holistic approach to treatment, offering case management services that help clients find housing, insurance, a therapist, and references to experts for diagnosis and medication — things that can make all the difference for someone working to get back on their feet.
“I’ve met with so many people who have so many patients and clients in all the different facets — from primary care to the hospital to the homeless shelter — who need this resource,” Kelsey Williams, director of operations, said. “We haven’t seen a big influx in referrals yet, but there are patients we see weekly and a handful of patients who have been completely sober since coming here. There are some who have found jobs and who have found housing, and a couple who have gone back for their GED to get their life on track.”
Pillar is still in its early days and wants to become a resource for everyone in the community who needs it, ready to take in additional patients and help them with every step of the sobriety journey.
“We hope to offer long term relapse prevention and reintegration into the community,” Williams said. “Sobriety is a lifelong thing you have to deal with and we are always here for support and to be a resource when things come up. A long-term win for us is having clients be able to maintain sobriety on their own and get the tools they need to keep their life on track.”
This mission is one that’s close to the hearts of Pillar’s owners. Taylor Hennrick and Sarang Patel are both psychiatric physician assistants who have practiced in Lenawee County for eight years. Trent Carter is a nurse practitioner of addiction medicine. Brandon Gwinup specializes in information technology. They came together to address the needs they were seeing in the community. One worked closely with youth and saw that they were starting to dabble in substance abuse earlier and earlier in life. Another saw patients with mental health struggles also suffer from substance use disorder but lack the proper resources to address it.
“They wanted to fill that gap,” Williams said. “That’s why they chose this community.”
As with any new business, there have been challenges. While there seems to be no shortage of need in the area, only a few clients have found their way to the still burgeoning business. Even so, the team at Pillar is confident that they can make a difference in Adrian and beyond.“What patients and the community appreciate most is the passion behind it,” Williams said. “It’s not about numbers and checking boxes on a to-do list. This was born out of providers who want to do their best for patients. For people leaving the hospital with no resources, this can be life changing and it’s extremely rewarding to give people the courage and empowerment to change their lives.
“Our passion for patient care sets us apart,” she continued. “We haven’t reached our full potential but the community members we have been able to help have completely turned their lives around. It’s definitely different if you can go somewhere and be treated like family. We genuinely want people to succeed.”
For more information, call 517-225-4483 or visit Pillar Recovery Services online at pillarrecovery.com.
