COMMUNITY PROFILE SALLY GIBBENS SHOWS HER TATTOO OF SINGER AMY WINEHOUSE, WHO STRUGGLED WITH ADDICTION TO DRUGS AND ALCOHOL. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN WITH SUBLOCADE, MANY CAN END TREATMENT AFTER SIX MONTHS WITHOUT EXPERIENCING FURTHER CRAVINGS. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN Continued from page 7 Johnston started a six-month treatment of Sublocade in 2023. Sublocade is a next-generation MAT treatment. Approved by the FDA in 2017, Sublocade is a monthly shot in the abdomen that slowly releases buprenorphine, the same active ingredient in Suboxone. Johnston noted that the biggest difference between Sublocade and Suboxone is that Suboxone is a daily treatment taken in perpetuity. But with Sublocade, many can end treatment after six months without experiencing further cravings. Medicaid and many insurance plans cover both treatments in Colorado, and the manufacturer has copay assistance programs. Outpatient MAT is an affordable treatment option compared to lengthy in-treatment programs. Johnston knows that most can’t afford the type of rehab he utilized because of the cost. He wants everyone to know that the treatment is available to almost anyone seeking recovery. Johnston also believes MAT isn’t enough to help someone truly overcome their addiction. He has brought a counselor onto his team to help offer more extensive support and services to his patients. He and Gibbens want Urban Peaks Rehab to provide patients with a greater chance at overcoming addiction. The clinic has helped more than 20 people complete the Sublocade regime. Today, those individuals are living successfully in recovery, unassisted by medication. Many more patients are actively in treatment and not using drugs. “I see the system fail clients almost every day,” Gibbens said. “We have individuals who come in without a thing and don’t know how to navigate Medicaid or anything else. They just know they need help and want to be sober. So, I guess I am proud that I can now help anyone apply for Medicaid and begin treatment. [Applying for Medicaid] wasn’t a skill I ever thought I would need or develop. But if I can take down a barrier [to treatment], then I am excited I have the know-how.” TAKING THE NEXT STEP Gibbens ultimately made it to recovery through MAT treatment at Urban Peaks Rehab. She started working at the clinic as a medical tech. Today, she manages all aspects of the “WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS WHO COME IN WITHOUT A THING AND DON’T KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE… THEY JUST KNOW THEY NEED HELP AND WANT TO BE SOBER.” CREDIT: GILES CLASEN office, whether marketing, providing emotional support for the patients, or billing insurance and Medicaid. Taking the next step in her recovery, Gibbens recently started therapy. She is processing a lot, like the abuse she suffered as a child, experiencing homelessness off and on, and the ghosts of her years as an addict, including that day in the parking lot with her friend Natalie. That is one of the ghosts she cannot leave behind. Natalie didn’t die that day in Duluth. Paramedics revived her with naloxone, a drug to treat overdoses. But Natalie didn’t seek treatment, and her luck ran out about a year later when she passed away from an overdose. It would be impossible to describe Gibbens as selfish today. She doesn’t spend much time thinking about herself. Her focus is on giving second, third, and fourth chances to people who need help. She spends each day encouraging each patient as they go through treatment. Gibbens also helps clients find housing, or sober living if they need it. The staff at Urban Peaks Rehab recognizes that many patients need more than medical treatment to become sober and move forward. ■ To seek help for addiction or learn more about Urban Peaks Rehab, visit urbanpeaksrehab.com. 8 DENVER VOICE January 2024
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