Center for Addiction Treatment Hosts Representative Brad Wenstrup for Campus Tour and Open Discussion

CINCINNATI, August 16, 2021 – Representative Brad Wenstrup visited Center for Addiction Treatment (CAT) for a private tour and discussion on Tuesday, August 10^th.

Chellie McLellan, CEO, guided Representative Wenstrup of the Ohio 2nd District and Anthony Spaetzel, Field Representative, around CAT’s campus to witness core aspects of the non-profit and participate in conversation with staff. Following the completion of the personalized tour, Representative Wenstrup and McLellan joined Marcus Thompson, Board of Trustees President, Christine Barrett Haslam, Board of Trustees, and CAT team members to convene for a sit-down conversation. The discussion held surrounded current trends, future programming, demographics and outcomes in the wake of COVID-19.

“The University of Cincinnati recently shared that Greater Cincinnati ranks number one for hardest-hit opioid hot spots in the United States,” says McLellan. “In the wake of the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, our need for support has never been greater. To that end, we appreciated sitting down with Congressman Brad Wenstrup and sharing current trends effecting the substance use disorder field and how those trends directly impact our work. We are always grateful for opportunities to share about recovery efforts in our community and we look forward to building a better future together.”

During conversation, specific references were made to ongoing trends that place Cincinnati as a central hub for opioid overdoses across the nation. Discussion also included the measures CAT is taking to actively counter effects of the current nursing shortage in Ohio, the impact of COVID-19 on results, sharing demographic information and plans on the horizon for CAT. Additional attendees of the tour and subsequent meeting included key CAT personnel Kat Engle, COO, Alana Tucker, Government Strategies, Tricia White, CHRO, and Nicole Fredrick, Access Manager.