Life Change Center in Carson City and Sparks among opioid recovery center grant recipients

The Life Change Center in Carson City and Sparks are among three community provider organizations picked to receive the Opioid State Targeted Response Treatment and Recover Center grant, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services announced this week.

“Improved access to services is key to combating the opioid crisis,” said Richard Whitley, director of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, in a news release. “By having treatment options, citizens may be able to return to the workforce as productive members of society.”

The Life Change Center will provide Medication Assisted Treatment for rural and frontier patients using mobile services across Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties.

The two other organizations are Center for Behavioral Health with offices in Washoe and Clark County and Vitality Unlimited, based in Elko.

“Approximately $2.1 million of the STR budget will go towards the IOTRC’s,” said Dr. Stephanie Woodard, Senior Advisor on Behavioral Health for the State of Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public and Behavioral Health Bureau of Behavioral Health, Prevention, and Wellness. “The development of the IOTRC’s is an essential step in Nevada turning the tide on the public health crisis caused by the opioid epidemic.

The Integrated Opioid Treatment and Recovery Centers will be funded for a six month project to expand access to high quality treatment and recovery services for adolescents and adults who are struggling with addiction to opioids. Despite having some of the best treatments available for opioid use disorder, we still have challenges linking people to care. The IOTRC’s are designed to connect those needing treatment to comprehensive care.”

IOTRC’s will provide integrated primary and behavioral health care for adults and adolescents with Opioid Use Disorder. They are designed to provide comprehensive, individualized evaluations of treatment needs and ensure that people presenting for treatment access appropriate care.

For many people with opioid addiction the most effective treatment is the combination of counseling and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) with medications such as naltrexone, methadone, or buprenorphine. The IOTRC’s will provide a range of services and supports including MAT, care coordination, counseling, assistance with accessing community resources, and support for long-term recovery.

IOTRC’s serve as the center for care coordination within their formal network of care providers. These formal networks include intensive services, such as withdrawal management and residential services for people with the most severe treatment needs, as well as prevention and whole-health services, such as primary care and HIV testing.

The Integrated Opioid Treatment and Recovery Centers will also have mobile recovery outreach teams to provide support and engagement in services following an overdose. To prevent fatal overdoses, IOTRC’s will also distribute naloxone, the antidote for opioid overdose, to individuals in the community who are at-risk for experiencing an opioid related overdose. The mobile recovery outreach teams will include peer supporters who have lived experience dealing with addiction. As subject matter experts in opioid use disorder treatment, the IOTRC’s will serve as regional consultants on addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery.

“Opioid STR funding is limited to two years. The state's efforts to build a sustainable treatment and recovery system of care means these centers will also be required to meet specific certification criteria to receive the IOTRC’s designation.

President Trump’s declaration of a public health emergency is also allowing states to apply for 1115 demonstration waivers to cover services, such as residential care for addiction. The Division of Heath Care Financing and Policy, Nevada Medicaid, is actively evaluating the financing models to sustain the IOTRC’s system of care.

The three provider organizations selected are:

Center for Behavioral Health:
http://centerforbehavioralhealth.com/treatment-center-nevada/
Center for Behavioral Health will be provided funding to expand services to meet the IOTRC certification for all 5 Nevada locations in Clark County and Washoe County. Medication Assisted Treatment for rural and frontier patients will be provided using telemedicine.

The Life Change Center:
http://tlccreno.org/
The Life Change Center will be provided funding to expand services to meet the IOTRC certification for the locations in Sparks and Carson City. Medication Assisted Treatment for rural and frontier patients will be provided using mobile services across Lyon, Storey, Churchill, and Douglas counties.

Vitality Unlimited:
http://www.vitalityunlimited.org/
Vitality Unlimited will be provided funding to expand services to meet the IOTRC certification at their Elko location. Elko is considered a frontier county in far Eastern Nevada. Medication Assisted Treatment is provided on-site and through telemedicine services.

If you, or someone you know needs to access resources to help with a substance abuse issue, please call 2-1-1 and they will assist you in finding help.

View previous Carson Now reporting on The Life Change Center in Carson City, here.