September is National Recovery Month.
A local nonprofit is hoping to raise awareness of the challenges local recovery centers are battling right now due to the pandemic, which has exacerbated an already difficult situation.
This is a time when addiction and relapse rates are rising due to COVID-19 but Nexus Recovery Center said they're not letting that stop their life-saving work.
The center was founded in Dallas in 1971 by five sober women who saw a need for a center that served only women.
"I became so afraid of not having a place to go to get help," she said. "There was no food at home. We barely made it."
Valerie Howell, a former client, can tell you best.
Valerie Howell and her son in the early 1990s.
She was a single mom with a 4-year old son. She was addicted to drugs.
On Labor Day weekend 28 years ago, she came to Nexus because it's the only center in North Texas that allows children to accompany their mothers to treatment.
The programs helped her stay clean ever since. Her son grew up to be successful. Now, she's on the board overseeing the care of other women in her shoes.
"It changed the course of both of our lives because the cycle of addiction was always in my family," she said.
Valerie Howell today.
But she says the pandemic has taken a toll on the recovery community.
Face-to-face therapies and in-person 12-step meetings were stripped away overnight.
The center reports that the relapse rate is high, especially in isolation and they expect this to continue to increase after COVID-19.
According to the University of North Texas Health Science Center, the number of opioid-related deaths in Texas in the first six months of 2020 is 20% higher than the year before.
The amount of people streaming into Nexus also continues to grow. In the last six months, the facility has taken in more than 860 clients and is now at capacity with a three-week waitlist. About 25% of those clients reported being homeless.
Howell said many of these women don’t have anywhere else to go - hospitals are full of COVID-19 patients and many have been isolated from other family or friends.
"It is a high number, but we'd like to see it higher," said Howell. "Times are really hard with COVID-19. We're hoping to keep the doors open to make it possible for more women to come in."
Some activities are being conducted outside at Nexus Recovery in Dallas, which has restricted visitors and enacted safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
This is just a snapshot of how centers like Nexus are continuing programs for clients right now, with masks and virtual meetings.
Nexus offers both residential and outpatient services and currently has more than 100 women and children who live on-campus. The nonprofit said it has established a controlled environment with no visitors and strict protocols -- so far no cases have been reported inside the facility.
A counselor continues to hold meetings with clients virtually.
Nexus has planned some celebrations inside the complex for clients for National Recovery Month such as costume contests, arts and crafts, and a picnic. The center has set up an Amazon wish list for families as the kids head back to school.
If you would like to help through volunteer work or donation, click here.
If you or someone you know needs help from Nexus, call 214-321-0156 or email help@nexusrecovery.org.
There is more news in the fight against substance abuse. Last week, John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth officials announced they were one of 10 hospitals in the country to receive a competitive grant from Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration worth $1.5 million.
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Local Centers Highlight Impact of COVID-19 During National Recovery Month - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
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