VOTC, Inc. MAT Participation

Although VOTC, Inc. does not directly provide MAT services, clients under the care of a physician licensed by the state of California to treat opioid addiction with buprenorphine therapy are welcome at VOTC, Inc. programs. Prescribed MAT medications are securely stored on behalf of Residential clients in separate MAT Medications Storage cabinets.

VOTC, Inc. is not a detox facility. However, some clients or potential clients will need detox treatment services and to get on MAT or supervised medical care before receiving treatment at our Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program. Under certain circumstances, VOTC, Inc. may require a medical clearance upon arrival and admittance into our residential programs.

Effective Treatment for Opioid Addiction

Medications, including buprenorphine (Suboxone®, Subutex®), methadone, and extended release naltrexone (Vivitrol®), are effective for the treatment of opioid use disorders.

Improving Medications

In November 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Sublocade, the first once-monthly buprenorphine injection for moderate-to-severe opioid use disorder in adult patients who have initiated treatment with the transmucosal buprenorphine-containing products. This medication, in addition to Probuphine®, an implantable buprenorphine formulation approved in May 2016, eliminates the need for daily dosing and improve treatment retention. Read the Director’s blog – Probuphine: A Game-Changer in Fighting Opioid Dependence.

Reaching Patients in Need

The emergency department (ED) provides a prime opportunity to screen patients for opioid use disorder and initiate MAT. Patients who initiate MAT in the ED are more than twice as likely to remain engaged in treatment compared to patients referred for treatment. Read the JAMA article – Emergency Department–Initiated Buprenorphine/Naloxone Treatment for Opioid Dependence
A recent study found treatment with extended-release naltrexone reduced relapse rates among criminal justice involved adults with a history of opioid dependence. Read the NEJM article Extended-Release Naltrexone to Prevent Opioid Relapse in Criminal Justice Offenders.

 

VOTC, Inc. MAT Community Collaboration

Clients on MAT medications, such as Methadone, will be driven in the morning to the AEGIS clinic to be supported for proper dosing or with-take-home doses (if the AEGIS provider sees fit) for MAT medications. Before leaving our treatment facility for transport to the MAT medication clinic, authorized and trained staff will take each client’s individual locking medication box out of the locked cabinet, and the locking box will be taken with the client(s) to the clinic.

Upon arrival at the clinic, the designated staff member will take the client(s) inside and wait inside with the client(s) until dosing and possibly with-take home doses are provided to the client or clients.

Take-home doses may be stored and transported using the client(s) personal lock box with keys, or a lock box with a combination box, once received by the prescribing provider at the AEGIS clinic. Upon departure from the clinic, the box will be transported back to our residential treatment facility and handled by authorized staff. The authorized staff will count the doses, document the count and secure the methadone or other prescribed MAT medication in the clients’ lock box, within a locked cabinet.

Medications are Not Widely Used

Although Visions utilizes MAT, less than 1/2 of privately-funded substance use disorder treatment programs offer MAT, and only 1/3 of patients with opioid dependence at these programs receive it.

Addressing Myths About Medications

Methadone and buprenorphine DO NOT substitute one addiction for another. When someone is treated for opioid addiction, the medication dosage does not get them high–it helps reduce opioid cravings and withdrawal. These medications restore balance to the brain circuits affected by addiction, allowing the patient’s brain to heal while working toward recovery.

Additional Information

If you or someone you care about has an opioid use disorder, ask your doctor about available MAT options and about naloxone, an opioid antagonist that can reverse an opioid overdose.

VOTC, Inc. is NOT a detoxification facility. However, once an individual receives detoxification services and is on MAT (Medically-Assisted Treatment), they can be admitted into one of our Residential SUD Treatment Programs.

If you are struggling with an opiate use disorder, here are our recommendations:

Local Detoxification Service Providers:

1.) Empire Recovery

2.) Mercy Hospital Bridge Program