Charity teams with doctor to battle substance abuse

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE- Thousand Oaks residents Greg Akrey, left, and Dr. Irving Schaffner are in their Thousand Oaks office. Akrey and Schaffner hope to open a nonprofit substance abuse clinic. Both say methamphetamine addiction is a growing concern here and throughout America. One of the first physicians to practice in the Conejo Valley is teaming up with a local charity to run a methamphetamine and opiate detoxification clinic.

Greg Akrey, 53, started Open Your Arms two years ago after his daughter's recovery from meth addiction. The nonprofit organization focused on group counseling, equine therapy and other general community service projects.

"I firsthand went through the trauma and decided to start the nonprofit," Akrey said. "I realized that people can't fight this alone. I have been absolutely shocked by the amount of crystal meth and heroin use going on in the area. I don't want people to go through what I did."

Akrey would often run into an old friend, his former physician Dr. Irving Schaffner. Schaffner, who began practicing in the Conejo Valley in 1958, had taken a hiatus from general medicine for a few years after his wife's death and had started treating substance abuse patients. They talked and decided to "join forces."

Schaffner said their approach to treating opiate detox is to minimize withdrawal symptoms.

The doctor administers Suboxone, which suppresses symptoms of opioid withdrawal and decreases cravings for opioids. Schaffner may also provide drugs to help sleep disorders, anxiety and problems.

Meth detox requires an intravenous drug that's extremely expensive. Akrey and Schaffner said they hope to start treating meth addicts soon.

"A typical patient may come into the office three days the first month or two- - for the intravenous drug- - and take an oral prescription pill at night for two or three months," Akrey said.

The two have also put together a team that includes a biofeedback specialist, a personal trainer with full gym, counselors and a neural linguist to assist in the overall recovery of the patient.

"We put together a whole crew," Akrey said. "We have all the tools, we just don't have the funding. We have a group of like-minded individuals that I know can really do something for these kids."

A big part of the healing process is bringing in the addict's family.

"This is an epidemic and not just a local problem by any means," Akrey said. "What people don't realize is that it's not just a personal issue of the drug user- - it's a family issue. We are finding out so much unbelievable facts about how the family as a whole greatly contributes to the problems people are having getting off these drugs.

"We try to bring the whole social unit together. We try to break down those barriers."

Akrey has applied for more than $5 million in grants from state and federal sources but hasn't heard back yet. He said it will take anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000 to get the meth detox portion of the clinic off the ground.

"This problem is worse than bad," Schaffner said. "They are charging $20,000 to $30,000 at Promises in Malibu—people can't afford that. We want to help everyone."

The clinic is open every day.

"You think it wouldn't happen in this community, but it is," Schaffner said.

For more information, call Akrey at (805) 827-4703.