The University of Toledo Medical Center is accepting new patients to its new Adult Detoxification Inpatient Unit on the sixth floor of the hospital.

The 10-bed unit has a dedicated team of nurses, social workers and other staff with training and experience in detox and behavioral health. The detox unit will help patients safely manage the physical symptoms of withdrawal associated with stopping drug or alcohol abuse and then connect them with services to enhance their possibility for success in overcoming addiction.

“There is a drug abuse and overdose epidemic in our state and UTMC is responding with this dedicated unit as part of our increased focus on behavioral health. We want to help people in our community who suffer from addiction,” said Dr. Tanvir Singh, UTMC psychiatrist who serves as the unit’s medical director. “Addiction is a brain disease just like any other chronic illness, but these patients also struggle with social stigma and marginalization, which it makes it challenging. We need to both treat the disease and connect patients with the resources they need to overcome those challenges for successful recovery.”

Patients will be admitted to the detox unit through referrals from other units within UTMC and through health-care providers in the community, as well as patients and their family members who contact the hospital directly for detox assistance.

Patients must be in active withdrawal from alcohol, opioids or other substances when they are admitted to the UTMC detox unit and commit to immediately entering an intensive outpatient treatment program following their stay in the hospital, which would average three to five days.

UTMC also plans to include individual talk therapy, group therapy, social work visits, physical exercise, mental exercises, nutrition and self-care classes with community partners as part of its services in the detox unit to address the patients’ medical and psychological needs.

For more information, call 419.383.2337.