Newly established opioid addiction treatment centers in Elko, Nevada have been focusing on implementing programs that prioritize an integrated approach to care.
The establishment of the addiction treatment centers was made possible because, about a year ago, Nevada officials and healthcare professionals gathered to outline a number of key goals that had the potential to curb the impacts that opioids have had on the state. Then, Gov. Brian Sandoval, one of the many officials who has been vocal about working to combat the problem of opioid abuse in Nevada, announced that the state had been the recipient of a federal grant of approximately $5.7 million.
About $2 million of the grant was designated to the establishment of new addiction treatment centers and recovery programs to serve the population of individuals with opioid use disorders.
State officials recently announced the names and locations of the healthcare providers who would be running the new addiction treatment centers — one facility will primarily serve the north of the state, one will be serving the southern region and one is located in the city of Elko.
The primary focus of the addiction treatment center in Elko is to prioritize an integrated form of opioid use disorder program.
The integrated opioid addiction treatment program features a number of medical professionals such as counselors, case managers, psychiatrists, nurses and peer recovery specialists who have all battled a substance use disorder themselves.
The addiction treatment centers are also required to have the ability to offer a series of medical services to the patients in recovery including primary care screenings, psychological rehabilitation, and crisis response assistance.
According to the representatives of the center, the grant went almost entirely to covering structural increases and staff expansions that are qualified to provide integrated opioid use disorder assistance to patients.
Another effort that looked to address the effects of the opioid epidemic in the state was launched by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services and the Southern Nevada Health District. The agencies joined forces to create the Nevada Opioid Dashboard, a digital tool with visually enhanced data that allows the public to learn more about the epidemic across all different areas of the state.
The latest data provided by the dashboard revealed that in 2016 Elko County had a higher rate of drug overdose emergency department visits than the rate observed in the entire state — respectively with a rate of 144.40 per 100,000 residents in contrast to 137.60 per 100,000 residents. The tool also revealed that Elko County had the highest rate of hospitalizations associated with drugs and the second highest rate of drug-related deaths in the state that year.
The funds for the implementation of the new addiction treatment centers and programs were provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration through its State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grants initiative, which bases capital distribution on the rates of opioid overdose deaths as well as the public’s unmet necessity for addiction treatment services.
Author: Livia Areas-Holmblad
Livia Holmblad is an editor at Addiction Now and covers breaking news, features and everything in between. She moved to SoCal after living in NYC for about 10 years, where she worked for VICE and SinoVision as a writer, editor, host, producer, and director. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. Contact Livia at liviah@addictionnow.com
