Ghent: (Brussels Morning) – The MSOC in Ghent aims to make addiction treatment accessible but its single entrance raises privacy concerns for clients. The center is exploring options to move to a new building with multiple entrances to better support recovery.
The MSOC in Ghent is placed in a convenient spot in the city center on Gewad making it easy to reach. Steve Sercu from MSOC highlights their focus on making help easily accessible. They operate on a drop-in basis so people can come in for assistance without appointments. This method is meant to make support services more accessible without any waiting lists. With their open-door policy MSOC aims to be responsive and inclusiv, meeting the various needs of the Ghent community effectively.
What Services Does the MSOC in Ghent Provide for Substance Use Treatment?
The center helps many people with different needs related to substance use. Some are going through detox a vital stage where they remove substances from their bodies in a safe way with supervision to handle withdrawal symptoms and start their path to recovery. This step is important to get individuals ready for further treatment and help. The facility helps people with heroin addiction by giving them methadone which reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Methadone is part of a treatment plan that stabilizes individuals and helps them recover from opioid addiction over time. They also provide a needle exchange program to prevent diseases. This lets people trade their used needles for new clean ones reducing the chance of infections from injecting drugs.
How does the single entrance at the MSOC in Ghent pose challenges for Clients seeking addiction treatment?
The main problem is that the facility only has one door for everyone to go in and out. This means all clients, staff and visitors have to use the same entrance. It raises the chance of running into certain people maybe even those who know them or try to talk to them which might make them feel like their privacy and anonymity are at risk. Some clients feel uneasy about bumping into certain people outside the facility. This unease could be because they might see people they know used to hang out with or who are linked to their past drug use. It has been said that these encounters could be unwanted and might make clients feel upset or exposed especially when they are trying to recover or get help. To make things better they could think about making changes to the building or how things work to boost privacy and safety. This might include having different doors for coming in and going out setting up waiting areas that give more privacy or having rules for handling client meetings outside. These steps could make the experience better for clients and help them feel more secure and comfortable as they work towards recovery.
Steve Sercu the Director at MSOC highlighted that clients are faced with the exact problem they are working to overcome as soon as they reach the entrance of the facility. This situation can be challenging for clients seeking support for substance use disorders as encountering triggers or individuals associated with their past substance use right at the entrance can be distressing and compromise their sense of privacy and anonymity. It emphasizes the importance of creating a more secure and private environment for clients to feel comfortable and supported in their recovery journey. Sercu mentioned that some clients trying to overcome addiction encounter drug users at the entrance offering help in a way that can be seen as confrontational. This situation isn’t helpful for those trying to kick the habit. The MSOC has rules against drug use dealing or aggression on or near the premise, with consequences for breaking them. However, they can’t catch everything that happens. The MSOC is exploring options with the city of Ghent aiming for a building with multiple entrances to provide better access for different clients. They are currently searching for possible locations to see if they can build a new facility or renovate an existing one. Sercu doesn’t have a set timeline for when the move will happen yet.
