A state-licensed facility for people struggling with substance abuse, addiction and associated issues has opened in Slatington, filling a much-needed voice for treatment in the northern part of the county.
Lehigh County Drug & Alcohol on Friday evening celebrated the opening of Treatment Trends Slatington Outpatient Center, funded through Lehigh County’s opioid settlement.The facility at 647 Main St. is the first of its kind in Slatington.
Borough Council member Ryan Mayberry said Slatington lacks medical offices or primary care doctors, let alone a facility to treat people with substance-abuse issues.
“For too long we have been in a little forgotten corner without access to many things that make communities south of us around Allentown so prosperous,” Mayberry said.
Officials said Friday’s gathering marked a major expansion of addiction treatment access in a rural part of the Valley, where residents like Jeremy Turner have historically had to travel 30 or 40 minutes each way to reach treatment in Allentown or Bethlehem. It’s been a barrier linked to higher dropout rates and relapse, they said.
“Chances of them succeeding in an outpatient program that distance away is slim,” said John E. Dillensnyder III, executive director of the nonprofit Treatment Trends Inc., which operates other facilities in Lehigh and Northampton counties.
Turner, who lives in Slatington, said he became first addicted to alcohol and marijuana, and has had to overcome his addiction to methamphetamines in recent years. His habit has led to being incarcerated several times, most recently Lehigh County Jail. But he said he has been out of jail about a year and sober since May.
Sarah Falwell, Treatment Trends associate director who works with the county drug coordinator, referred Turner to Slatington Outpatient. Having been attending treatment sessions near Allentown, the borough facility offers him a reboot without having to spend hundreds of dollars in transportation.
“They’re awesome here; they really listen to you,” said Turner, who has been in rehab since 2010. “They’re good at their job, I know that.”
The county budgeted $225,000 for upgrades to the facility and general operating expenses, and another $100,000 for clinical treatment, according to Rick Molchany, general services director. Money came from the county’s share of the opioid settlement fund released several years ago.
Lehigh and Northampton counties have been working on how to spend approximately $46 million in opioid settlement funding — and help those with opioid-use or other drug and alcohol disorders in the Lehigh Valley.
How Lehigh Valley counties are spending millions for the opioid crisis
“For those people who don’t necessarily buy into [boosting treatment], I will add that none of it is taxpayer money,” said Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan, one of several speakers who gave remarks at the event at Venue22, two doors from the treatment site.
A flood of lawsuits filed by Pennsylvania and other government entities against drugmakers, drug wholesalers and pharmacy chains began about a decade ago. Most of the major ones have already settled for a total of about $50 billion, with most of the money going to fight the opioid crisis.
On Friday, a federal bankruptcy court judge in New York said he will approve OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma’s latest deal to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids that includes some money for thousands of victims of the epidemic. Purdue ‘s owners will pay up to $7 billion over 15 years, among the largest in a series of opioid settlements brought by state and local governments against drugmakers, wholesalers and pharmacies.
Back in Slatington, Holihan said prosecutors have been stigmatizing addiction, demeaning those victimized by drugs or alcohol. Often, the offenders return to jail.
“We’re not very encouraging when it comes to treatment,” he said.
The opioid settlement dollars have allowed prosecutors and others who deal with addiction to reevaluate and “really enable” the recovery side to work better.
“If we can use the funds to work together with drug and alcohol treatment providers,” he said, “that is going to make communities safer.”
Mayberry said a few Slatington residents grumbled about having an addiction-recovery facility in town, but the majority see it as something that’s necessary.
“People say, ‘You’re going to … bring the druggies into this town,” the first-term council member said after officials’ remarks and certificates of recognition were doled out. “The fact is, there is a drug problem in the town. It’s present in every town. So there’s no reason not to have a place up here where they can get services.”
The Slatington Outpatient Center will be able to serve between 45 and 50 people, according to Cheryl Kindler, the facility director. As of Friday, nine people have been attending sessions, she said, with Lehigh County paying for those without insurance. The center provides drug and alcohol assessments, and both outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment.
Its early intervention program, which supports someone who might benefit from taking preventative measures regarding addiction, requires payment from individuals, Kindler said.
Above all, officials believe the center will provide more equitable access to care by supporting recovery close to home while strengthening community wellness across the Slatington area, including Walnutport across the Lehigh River in Northampton County.
Treatment Trends Slatington Outpatient
Address: 647 Main St., Slatington
Telephone: 610-936-9699
Website: treatmenttrends.org/slatington-outpatient
Email: outpatient@treatmenttrends.org
Contact Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone at asalamone@mcall.com.
https://www.mcall.com/2025/11/15/slatington-outpatient-center/
