Monticello, New York in Sullivan County will offer the state’s first ever methadone dosing clinic.
Sullivan County has a high rate of overdoses, and staff at Lexington Center for Recovery want to offer other alternatives to patients despite the stigma surrounding addiction.
According to Times Union, the Lexington Center for Recovery services 1,600 patients in 13 clinics and 10 correctional facilities throughout the Hudson Valley.
Adrienne Marcus, the founder and leader of the program, has shared stories of success where methadone dosing helped those in need of recovery.
Instances where the methadone dosing helped patients
Marcus told a story about a man that had sores on his feet so bad he could not walk. Within months of receiving methadone treatment, he can walk again.
Another woman is now 12 years sober and lives in Hawaii that reports doing well to a counselor she still speaks to.
The 40th anniversary of the recovery center being open was Oct. 27, and the next day they opened the clinic.
The outpatient clinic was opened in Monticello to provide methadone treatment to residents struggling with opioid addiction.
Regulatory changes that happened right before the pandemic allowed for the expansion of medication assisted treatment. This allowed the clinic to open in New York.
Out of all of the counties in New York State, Sullivan has the highest rate of opioid overdoses. 25 patients have been treated since the opening two weeks ago.
Many of these patients had to travel to other counties for treatment.
One patient had reported doing well with the treatment, but was forced to stop for his job. This caused him to relapse.
All the opioid treatments available for those with addiction
There are currently three commonly used treatments for opioid addiction.
These include Vivitrol, Suboxone, and methadone.
Vivitrol is a shot that blocks opioid and opiate receptors in the brain. The person will not feel the pleasurable effects of the drug. Vivitrol works with alcohol as well.
Suboxone partially blocks receptors and partially binds to them. It stops people from going through withdrawal from opioids.
Methadone binds to the receptors the same way opioids do and helps a person go through their day with no cravings or withdrawals.
Aside from methadone treatment, the clinic offers counseling, peer services, physicals, and medical referrals.
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