An addiction treatment company with dozens of offices in five states has come to Sandusky, offering a new alternative for people dealing with substance abuse disorder.
Spero Health has set up shop at 1725 Columbus Ave., Suite F, as a soft opening; its full team is still being assembled.
Facility administrator Shawn Pasch, who has worked in the recovery field for six years, said he is new to Spero but admired the company while working for another provider.
Spero provides a compassionate, family approach to therapy, Pasch said. And the company provides an immediate start to treatment to people who need help, something that Pasch says is important.
“When I wanted to get clean, I didn’t want to get clean a week, two weeks from now,” said Pasch.
“I’m a person in long-term recovery. I’ve been clean for 12 years. For me, it’s my passion,” said Pasch, who grew up in Sandusky and graduated from high school in Fremont.
Pasch originally worked as a businessman, opening up and managing cell phone provider offices, but said he switched to working in recovery after realizing how important it was.
“People didn’t give up on me when I gave up on myself,” he said.
“Our philosophy is there are multiple pathways to recovery,” he said. “What works for me might not work for you. It’s our job to find out.”
Spero offers medication-assisted therapy, individual counseling and group counseling with access to a doctor who can prescribe drugs to ease the patient’s recovery journey.
Pasch said when the office is fully staffed, it will have six people, counting himself, with a doctor, a counselor, an LPN nurse, a medical assistant and a recovery support specialist who will provide case management and assist in needs such as searching for a job. The company does not accept Medicare but takes Medicaid and many private insurance providers.
A formal opening for the office will take place in a few weeks.