CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Southern Utah is experiencing a crisis. Drug overdoses, specifically from fentanyl, are skyrocketing, and more people than ever are seeking treatment for addiction. Lion’s Gate Recovery is looking for social workers, therapists and other passionate people committed to making a difference. 

Lion’s Gate is currently treating over 100 clients for drug and alcohol addiction at their programs in St. George and Cedar City. They desperately need staffing to accommodate many more who are still seeking help. Co-owner and operations director Josh Campbell said they’re receiving almost twice as many requests for help as they did before the pandemic. For these individuals and families, it’s truly a life-or-death struggle.

“If we can’t take more clients, they have nowhere to go,” he added. “They’re left in the street, left at home, left to their own devices.”

Data from the state’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network collected between 2017 and 2020 found that 10 Utah adults died each week by overdosing on either prescription or illegal opioids. Many of these deaths were linked to fentanyl, an extremely powerful synthetic opioid used in health care for patients with severe or chronic pain. 

“Fentanyl is the current problem, and it’s having a huge effect in Southern Utah,” Campbell said.

Fentanyl is approximately 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Campbell said the amount needed for a fatal overdose is smaller than the size of Abraham Lincoln’s head on the penny. Just 1 kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. 

According to newly released data from Families Against Fentanyl, an opioid awareness organization, the leading killer of Americans aged 18 to 45 is now fentanyl overdoses. Nearly 79,000 people in that age range died after ingesting a lethal amount of the drug between 2020 and 2021.  

Fentanyl can be packaged in much smaller amounts than other drugs due to its potency, making it easier to smuggle and distribute. Trafficking along Interstate 15 is becoming increasingly frequent. St. George News has reported on seven busts in Washington and Iron counties so far this year, with the most recent netting 25 pounds of pills.   

As fentanyl and other drugs continue to infiltrate local communities and schools, Lion’s Gate is working to save lives. They provide a full continuum of care to clients on the journey toward sober living, from the first day of intensive detox through residential treatment and aftercare. They also operate a handful of group homes for patients that need a safe place to stay while undergoing outpatient treatment.

Every month, Lion’s Gate graduates between 15-20 clients who have finished their treatment program and achieved a year of sober living. 

“If you compare that to the overdose rates, that’s a huge, huge impact in the community,” Campbell said. 

Elana Cohen, a licensed clinical social worker, found Lion’s Gate at a pivotal time in her career. Her message to any peers seeking an effective, client-centered work environment is that they’ve come to the right place. 

“Lion’s Gate affords each professional team member and each client the opportunity to do their work, develop their ‘craft,’ and simultaneously develop themselves beyond any scope and level imaginable,” she said. “You will be afforded the opportunity to practice in your desired setting, with your preferred modalities. You will be exposed to very skilled and knowledgeable clinical support that can only come from accumulated years of lived experience as well as professional expertise.”  

Lion’s Gate is a community of support that helps patients develop healthy social and life skills, learn coping mechanisms, establish boundaries and ultimately break free from the shackles of addiction. Their therapists and clinicians also address trauma and mental health disorders that complicate recovery.

Lion’s Gate helps people not only get sober but stay sober. Approximately 80% of clients who complete the entire program remain substance-free long-term, well above the national average of 15%. 

If you’re ready to join the team at Lion’s Gate, call 866-471-9476.

Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.

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Resources

• Lion’s Gate Recovery | Address: 260 W. St. George Blvd., St. George or 535 S. Main St. #2, Cedar City | Telephone: 866-471-9476 | Website.

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