Hampton doctor battling opioid epidemic as medical director of Ellen O’Brien Gaiser Center

As a child, Dr. C. Thomas Brophy watched family members struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.

Now he’s dedicating his career to helping others battle substance abuse.

Brophy, who lives in Hampton Township with his wife and three children, was recently named full-time medical director for the Ellen O’Brien Gaiser Center in Butler. The 50-year-old facility has one of the region’s most reputable treatment programs for addiction disorders.

The appointment of the board-certified Addiction Medicine physician — who has worked part-time at the Gaiser Center since 2019 — will help the staff offer around-the-clock inpatient care as it integrates Medication Assisted Treatment options, or MAT, into its programming.

MAT was formally recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties in 2016. Backed by evidence-based research, Brophy will use prescription medications to augment the educational and clinical services already provided by the Gaiser Center.

“The appointment is rewarding in the sense that all the work we’ve been doing is getting recognized on a broader level,” Brophy said. “The Gaiser Center is determined to evolve as the epidemic evolves as well.”

His expertise is needed now more than ever.

In 2018, there were 72,000 overdose deaths across the country. The number dropped to around 60,000 the following year. Brophy says that was largely due to the fact that Narcan, a prescription medicine used for the treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose emergency, was put in the hands of more first responders.

The medication saved lives but didn’t manage the substance abuse issue. In 2020, the overdose death toll rose to 92,000, due, in part, to the covid-19 pandemic.

Brophy, who is also board-certified in Emergency Medicine, was on the front lines of the opioid war. While working in hospital emergency rooms, he regularly treated people who had overdosed or were experiencing withdrawal symptoms. He lost a few close friends to opioids along the way, too.

The personal connection to the crisis spurred him to do more for addicts through medication, which helps stabilize their neurochemistry so they could make a clear-headed decision to go into treatment.

Brophy studied neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh. He said it’s important to educate the public about opioids and their effect on the brain and to treat patients in ways that will boost their statistical chance of succeeding in recovery.

He implemented educational programs in schools across Western Pennsylvania and launched the nonprofit Opiate Reform Initiative in 2016 to educate people and reduce the stigma associated with addiction, which is often seen as a moral and ethical failure on the part of the addict.

The Gaiser Center has long-term treatment options for both men and women, who are housed in separate quarters for up to 90 days. There are 44 beds – 24 for males, 20 for females – and resources to treat about 100 outpatients. Like many businesses and institutions, Gaiser Center officials are working hard to find high-quality staff to carry the mission. Joseph Mahoney, who became the facility’s executive director in May, is glad Brophy is on board.

“Medication Assisted Treatment is a necessary complement to the educational and clinical services we provide, and Gaiser is proud to be at the forefront of this rapidly advancing realm of patient care,” Mahoney said. “Dr. Brophy’s addiction medicine expertise coupled with his empathy for the struggles of addiction make him an invaluable asset to our program.”

Brophy hopes to see more physicians, nurses and medical assistants taking an interest in MAT and more addiction programs implementing it.

“The Gaiser Center has never had this position before; there is no blueprint,” he said of his new position. “In a sense, that’s a good thing and a challenge, as well. Right now, the field is driven by people who have a passion for it and have been personally impacted by addiction.”