Supported by more than $940,000 in funding from Delaware County Council, the Crozer-Keystone Health System will soon open First Steps Treatment Center, a 52-bed center at the Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland.

First Steps will be dedicated to comprehensively addressing the detoxification and rehabilitation needs of men and women in Delaware County and the region who are suffering from substance abuse disorders.

Patients will benefit from comprehensive, 24-hour medical services, and will have the ability to access extensive resources within Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Delaware County’s largest hospital, and the entire Crozer-Keystone Health System.

The unit will be located in the medical center’s East wing, and will feature renovated patient rooms, as well as a range of patient-centered amenities.

First Steps Treatment Center was supported by almost a million dollars in funding from Delaware County. This was made possible by an allocation from the county’s Office of Behavioral Health/Division of Drug and Alcohol and the county’s reinvestment funds. No general fund dollars were used.

“The ongoing national addiction epidemic has reached and ravaged families of all backgrounds and economic classes in Delaware County and throughout the region,” said Patrick Gavin, CEO of Crozer-Keystone. “As a leader and pioneer in behavioral health, the Crozer-Keystone team is proud to introduce First Steps Treatment Center, a new resource that we hope will help many people to overcome their addictions and find better health.”

The opening of First Steps is a natural progression for a health system that is a regional leader in behavioral health, substance abuse, and addiction care. Crozer-Keystone’s psychiatrists, counselors, social workers, and more have been caring for men and women for decades on an outpatient basis.

In 2016, the health system was designated a Center of Excellence for opioid abuse treatment by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. Crozer-Chester Medical Center has an abundance of experience and expertise caring for mothers and children with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS).