Mount Laurel-based Pinnacle Treatment Centers, a leading provider of community-based drug and alcohol addiction treatment services, on Thursday said it acquired MBA Wellness Center in Stockbridge, Georgia.
Founded in 2010, MBA Wellness Center is a privately-owned, outpatient opioid addiction treatment program located approximately 20 miles south of Atlanta. The center serves more than 130 patients daily.
“MBA Wellness provides exceptional service and compassionate care. The team is not only mission-driven and dedicated, but expert at treating opioid addiction,” Joe Pritchard, CEO of Pinnacle and an individual in addiction recovery for 47 years, stated. “Drug overdose deaths continue to increase across the country and in the state of Georgia, and affordable, accessible treatment is needed now more than ever. We’re privileged to join the community of Stockbridge, continue the good work that’s been done there over the years, and restore more lives.”
Pinnacle entered the Peach State in August 2020 when it purchased HealthQwest, an opioid addiction treatment provider with five locations. MBA Wellness Center will take the HealthQwest name, and together, the six centers will help more than 1,300 patients every day overcome opioid use disorder.
This is Pinnacle’s second acquisition in six months. In June 2022, Pinnacle moved into its ninth state by adding Stepping Stone of North Carolina to its network of care.
This acquisition increases Pinnacle’s reach in treating those suffering from substance use disorder and advances its mission of making recovery possible for anyone who needs it.
Provisional data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicate there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during 2021, an increase of nearly 15% from the 93,655 deaths estimated in 2020. The state of Georgia, specifically, saw a 22% increase in overdose deaths from February 2021 through February 2022, with fentanyl mostly to blame.
According to an Atlanta news outlet, the Georgia Department of Public Health found between May 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, overdose deaths involving fentanyl jumped by 106.2%, compared to the same time period the previous year.
Through medication-assisted treatment, MBA Wellness, now HealthQwest, provides evidenced-based medications — methadone and buprenorphine — in coordination with long-term counseling to help individuals overcome the disease of addiction to opioids and achieve sustained health and wellness.
MAT is considered to be the gold standard of treatment for opioid use disorder. Methadone and buprenorphine curb withdrawal symptoms from heroin and opioid addiction; prevent relapse; and quell the physical discomfort that frequently accompanies recovery from opioid abuse.
