Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health has expanded community access to opioid addiction treatment to more than a dozen primary-care offices throughout Lancaster County.
This evidence-based approach to recovery, often referred to as a medication for addiction (MAT) program, uses safe prescription drugs, such as suboxone, to help patients deal with cravings and withdrawal symptoms as they recover from addiction. Providing the medication under the supervision of a provider reduces these symptoms and the risk of opioid overdose.
“Offering treatment in a primary-care setting significantly increases access to care and reduces the stigma for patients seeking help. By treating addiction like any other chronic health condition, such as asthma or diabetes, we recognize it as a health issue that is treatable and where recovery is possible,” said Caroline Thomas Barnhart, LCSW, director of Behavioral Health.
Individuals seeking treatment are screened and matched with a primary-care office, where family-medicine providers, behavioral-health specialists, nurses and care coordinators collaborate on a treatment plan.
“Since starting this program in 2016, our goal has been to provide compassionate and convenient team-based care that includes the patient, a prescribing primary-care provider, and a care coordinator to address psychosocial issues,” said Barnhart. “This patient-centered care may include integrated counseling, community drug and alcohol treatment, and recovery support.”
LG Health’s program has expanded from one location to primary-care offices in Columbia, East Petersburg, Elizabethtown, Ephrata, Lancaster City, Lebanon, Leola, Manheim, Marietta, Parkesburg, Quarryville, Strasburg and Wrightsville.
The program is supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and is open to all patients, regardless of insurance, with financial assistance available. Because opioid addiction affects millions of Americans from all walks of life, ensuring access to care is a priority shared by LG Health and state administrators.
“Most patients can receive outpatient care for opioid addiction recovery, so they can continue to work and live at home while going to a primary-care office or having telemedicine visits,” said Jon Lepley, DO, Family Medicine Downtown, who oversees the program as medical director, Addiction Medicine.
To learn more about LG Health’s Addiction Mmedicine program, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrsXJfty04Q