Drug Adddiction Recovery Programs in Arlington Expand

ARLINGTON, Va. - April 19, 2018 - PRLog -- Drug addiction treatment programs in Arlington are expanding to serve the rising number of locals in need of rehab services.

In 2015, at least 100 people in the city sought drug rehab services for an opioid use disorder and in 2017 that number had increased 245 percent, according to the Arlington County Annual Report, which also showed that last year 345 people looked to get medical addiction treatment services for an opioid use disorder.

The rising number of people seeking drug rehab and recovery programs in the area pushed Arlington officials to pass measures that could expand the availability of local addiction treatment services.

In January, the Arlington County Government hosted the first meeting for the Arlington Addiction Recovery Initiative.

At the meeting were stakeholders, public service representatives, and addiction treatment specialists.

They have proceeded to meet every month since to analyze and collect data related to drug abuse and treatment services.

These representatives have also implemented community outreach efforts to teach locals about drug abuse and available rehab services.

They have also promoted the importance of expanding two evidence-based treatment methods for substance use disorders — medication-assisted treatment and office-based opioid treatment.

The officials stated that these practices have been proven to lower chances of relapse for those in recovery and to improve the outcomes of their recovery programs.

Office-based opioid treatment mixes peer recovery, individual and group therapy with pharmaceutical care and has been endorsed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The organization has recommended both public and private health insurance providers to cover office-based opioid addiction treatment services to lower future costs of addiction treatment services.

Medication-assisted treatment has been a priority for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has suggested that expanding the approach can lower the negative impacts of the opioid epidemic in America.

Additionally, Arlington County officials have started to use a case management team approach to better serve the people needing addiction treatment services.

The case management team includes nurse practitioners that address patients' needs and provide referrals, medication management, and assessments.
They are also working on outlining protocols to better tackle new drug overdoses and support those who are considered to have a high risk of overdosing.

https://www.drugaddictionnow.com/2018/04/16/arlington-dru...