dispensed is the fact that doctor shopping has been a growing problem in the country.
With more cases of opioid use disorders among residents, California remains one of the few states with limited drug treatment centers that offer MAT. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s facility locator, there are 16 treatment locations within a 5-mile radius of Modesto. Only two drug treatment centers in Modesto utilize methadone; due to the long wait lists to receive treatment, a majority of patients travel to Merced or Stockton to get daily methadone doses. While 14 physicians in the area are licensed to prescribe buprenorphine or naltrexone, there are no specific addiction treatment centers that offer these MAT options.
Part of the problem in expanding addiction treatment services comes down to limited funding and support from city and county government. Officials looking to open additional clinics would most likely have to rely on federal or state programs to expand addiction treatment services, said Aegis Treatment Centers CEO Alex Dodd, who has a treatment center in Modesto and is trying to open another one.
The California Department of Health Care Services is working on expanding drug treatment centers and MAT services in across the state through the Hub & Spoke System.
Author: Sean Woodard
Sean Woodard is a journalist for Addiction Now and serves on the Film Department for Drunk Monkeys Literary Magazine and Film Blog. Focusing on a wide variety of interests, Sean’s fiction, film criticism, and other writing have been featured in Los Angeles Review of Books, Found Polaroids, and Los Angeles Magazine, among other publications. A native of Visalia, CA, he now resides in Orange County. Contact Sean at seanw@addictionnow.com
