Father Martin's Ashley, University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health Establish Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD--(Marketwired - Apr 1, 2015) - Father Martin's Ashley and University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health today announced plans to establish the Ashley Outpatient Treatment Center, an intensive outpatient program to treat drug- and alcohol-use disorders in Harford County and the surrounding area.

The new program will be located in the Klein Ambulatory Care Center at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air. It will be staffed and operated by Father Martin's Ashley in space leased from the hospital. It is the first collaboration of its kind by the two health care organizations.

The Ashley Outpatient Treatment Center is scheduled to open this summer.

The new program will provide outpatient treatment services to address a range of substance abuse disorders, including alcohol and drug addiction as well as prescription pain medication dependence that can lead to heroin use and overdose.

"Father Martin's Ashley has provided inpatient addiction treatment services for more than 32 years at our facility in Havre de Grace. We are pleased to join with University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center to provide intensive outpatient addiction treatment services in Harford County and the surrounding region," said Fr. Mark Hushen, O.S.F.S., president and CEO for Father Martin's Ashley. "The services available at the Ashley Outpatient Treatment Center combined with our successful program at our inpatient facility will offer a full range of treatment options to reverse our region's alarming addiction trends. It will also establish a continuum of care vital to helping those who suffer with addiction achieve recovery and remain healthy."

Lyle Sheldon, president and CEO of University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health, said, "We are happy to work with Father Martin's Ashley, which shares our deep commitment to the health and wellness of our community." He added, "We've found that drug and alcohol use is a contributing factor for many patients' repeat medical and emergency department visits. The Ashley Outpatient Treatment Center will help break the cycle of addiction and relapse by giving people convenient access to a robust outpatient treatment program provided by a well-known leader in the field."

About Father Martin's Ashley
Father Martin's Ashley is a nationally-recognized leader in the treatment of alcoholism and chemical dependence. Accredited by The Joint Commission and located on a 147-acre campus in Havre de Grace, Maryland, Father Martin's Ashley has helped chemically-dependent people, those in recovery, and their families, since its co-founding by Father Joseph C. Martin, S.S., and Mae Abraham in 1983. Father Martin's Ashley is a division of Ashley, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and has treated nearly 40,000 patients, offering inpatient treatment as well as sobriety enrichment, community and family and children's educational programs. In 2012, Ashley opened The Pain Recovery Program, offering patients a realistic reason for hope through an integrated approach to reducing or eliminating chronic pain, restoring function and ending dependence on addictive prescription pain medications to significantly improve quality of life. Visit www.fathermartinsashley.org for more information.

About University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health
In December of 2013, Upper Chesapeake Health became University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health. It consists of the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, Patricia D. and M. Scot Kaufman Cancer Center, University of Maryland Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace and the Senator Bob Hooper House . The leading health care system and largest private employer in Harford County, UM Upper Chesapeake Health offers a broad range of health care services, technology and facilities to the residents of northeastern Maryland. Visit www.umuch.org or more information.