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Naples, FL – David Lawrence Centers, Collier County’s only comprehensive, not-for-profit mental health and addiction recovery treatment center serving children, adults and families, is pleased to announce the receipt of a $320,000 grant from the State of Florida through federal funding provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMSHA) State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis (Opioid STR) initiative. These funds will support a new outpatient medication-assisted treatment program.

The State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis funding aims to address the opioid crisis by increasing access to treatment, reducing unmet treatment need, and reducing opioid overdose related deaths. Specifically, the state of Florida’s Targeted Response Project funds evidence-based prevention, medication-assisted treatment, and recovery support services. The state has earmarked the vast majority of these funds to be used for methadone and buprenorphine maintenance because these services have been demonstrated as most effective at retaining individuals in treatment, reducing illicit opioid use, and reducing opioid-related mortality.

David Lawrence Center’s Crossroads Adult Addiction Recovery program is utilizing the funding to add the MORE (Maintenance of Opioid Recovery Everyday) Medication-Assisted Treatment program to expand its comprehensive continuum of inpatient detoxification, residential, intensive outpatient and ongoing recovery support services.

Medication-Assisted Treatment is the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. Research shows that a combination of medication and therapy can successfully treat these disorders and help sustain recovery.

The MORE Medication-Assisted Treatment program offers hope to adults struggling with an addiction to opioids including heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers, through the use of Suboxone®, an opiate-based, FDA approved prescription medication. Buprenorphine is the primary active ingredient in Suboxone. By attaching to the same receptors as other opioids, it helps suppress withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings. Naloxone is also included in Suboxone to help prevent misuse.

The goal of the MORE Program is to improve functioning and increase the chances of successful outcomes by allowing the individual to regain a normal state of mind, free of drug-induced highs and lows, so the benefits of recovery can be maintained.

The MORE program includes a comprehensive clinical assessment performed by a specialized, designated medication-assistance treatment therapist, medical assessment performed by a nurse and a psychiatric addiction medical evaluation performed by a psychiatrist.

The first phase of treatment begins with inpatient induction on the detoxification unit. Individuals must abstain from opioids for a minimum of 12 hours to enter this phase of treatment. While on the unit, clients are administered Suboxone and medically monitored around the clock for 2-3 days while response to the medication is evaluated.

Upon discharge, clients are immediately referred to a weekly Suboxone Medication Management Clinic. During this next phase of treatment, clients receive individualized treatment plans that include case management, twice weekly group therapy, individual therapy and routine drug testing.

Once the client is established on a steady does of Suboxone, he/she enters the Maintenance Phase where the intensity and frequency of continued treatment services is individualized. The length of stay in this phase can be indefinite.

For individuals who qualify for financial assistance, the grant will fund all medications and outpatient therapy services, and a state-mandated, sliding fee scale based on ability to pay can be utilized for the inpatient treatment.

Medication prescriptions can conveniently be filled onsite at the new Genoa pharmacy in Building D-3 at the main campus off Golden Gate Parkway.

Maggie Baldwin, Clinical Director of Crossroads, said, “David Lawrence Centers is invested in providing as many options as possible to help combat this opioid epidemic and that means being innovative and holistic. This new treatment option is all about saving lives and increasing retention rates in treatment. Suboxone therapy can also help decrease illicit opioid use and other criminal activity as well as increase a patient’s ability to gain and maintain employment. Helping those addicted to opioids succeed through whichever treatment path that may be, helps entire families and the community.”

For more information about the MORE Mediation-Assisted Treatment Program, contact the David Lawrence Centers Crossroads program at CrossroadsNaples.org or 239-354-1428.

Southwest Florida nonprofit David Lawrence Centers is a national leader in providing world-class mental health and addiction recovery solutions for children, adolescents and adults. The Center’s innovative, integrated treatment includes inpatient, outpatient, residential, and community-based services – a comprehensive system of care funded by community and government support. Each year, David Lawrence Centers creates life-changing wellness for more than 9,000 people through over 220,000 treatment sessions. To learn more, please call (239) 491-7602 or visit www.DavidLawrenceCenter.org.