Addiction Treatment Boosted by Methadone Clinic

LAFAYETTE, Ind. - July 12, 2018 - PRLog -- A methadone clinic opened last month as part of government efforts to increase addiction treatment resources in the state.

Limestone Health, which runs the clinic, provides outpatient services such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and behavioral therapy. The healthcare provider also opened a new clinic in Bloomington.

The clinic can treat 500 individuals at full capacity. Patients must take regular drug tests and participate in the clinic's counseling aspect of the program.

After plans for the addiction treatment clinic were announced last summer, some local government officials and residents were worried it might negatively affect the local community.

For many years, Indiana legislature banned methadone clinics. However, rising heroin overdoses caused state government officials to pass a bill in 2015 that lifted the methadone ban and included measures to develop five opioid treatment programs by 2018. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed another law this March to create nine more programs in Indiana.

Last year, Indiana Medicaid expanded its MAT coverage to include methadone.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 1,526 drug overdose deaths occurred in Indiana during 2016.

According to the Indiana Department of Health, Tippecanoe County — where Lafayette is located — experienced 32 drug poisoning deaths that year.

Lafayette's mayor stated that the methadone clinic will save many lives.

https://www.drugaddictionnow.com/2018/07/12/addiction-treatment-lafayette-boosted-methadone-clinic/