In order to save as many lives as possible, Changes Rehabilitation announced the center is implementing a new protocol which will use test strips to screen every new patient on site for Xylazine upon admission. 

Known on the street as “Tranq”, Xylazine is an animal tranquilizer that is often mixed with opioids like heroin and fentanyl. The drug is resistant to Narcan, has been linked to thousands of overdoses, and can create flesh eating rot around injection sites. 

Changes is one of the few rehabilitation facilities with test strips available and will be conducting on-site tests for the drug, which the Biden administration has declared ‘an emerging threat’ in the US. Often combined with fentanyl, the DEA has warned in a public safety alert that the drug mixture places users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning. 

If an incoming client tests positive, staff members will call Emergency Services Personnel to provide the necessary medical attention for that person. Given the powerful, fast-acting nature of the drug, every second counts, making this new screening protocol a vital tool Changes will use to help save lives.

Dr. Shirley Jankowski, program director at Changes, said, “People struggling with addiction often get high right before coming to treatment and unfortunately we are seeing more and more people overdose because they knowingly, or unknowingly, took a substance laced with Tranq right before coming to our facility. When that happens, time is of the essence. We are extremely happy to be able to provide families with an extra sense of relief in knowing we have test strips available and that we will screen every single person who comes through our doors. At Changes, we are determined to love every single person in our care back to life and implementing this new screening protocol will help us achieve our mission.”

Changes Rehabilitation is a holistic drug and alcohol inpatient treatment center in Fulton Kentucky serving patients from across the US. The center opened its doors in November of 2020 and utilizes a unique approach to rehabilitation, focused on highly individualized treatment plans that use creative acts to help people replace addiction with passion.