Evergreen Treatment Services in Seattle, WA, illustrates SAMHSA's
view that medications such as methadone and LAAM should be used
in conjunction with a clinical program of therapeutic services.
"Treatment at Evergreen has always been individual-oriented,"
says Carol Davidson, M.S.W., C.D.P., Evergreen's treatment
director, "and individual counseling is an important part
of treatment planning. Individual counselors also serve as case
managers, referring patients for group counseling—either men's
or women's groups, alternative therapy such as acupuncture,
psychiatric assessments, or community mental health services, as
needed."
Evergreen has chosen to seek accreditation from the Washington
State Department of Social and Health Services. "We're
very fortunate and a bit ahead of the game," says Ms. Davidson.
"Because we've always had to meet Washington State licensing
requirements, we're already doing a lot of the things that
the new CSAT accreditation standards call for. The State standards
have always been high."
"This new system will be good for the patients and good
for the drug abuse treatment field," says T. Ron Jackson,
M.S.W., Evergreen's executive director. "Our patients
are already seeing benefits. Even in the early stages of the accreditation
process, we've been able to implement more generous schedules
for take-home medication under the CSAT guidelines."
Both Ms. Davidson and Mr. Jackson predict beneficial outcomes
from CSAT's new accreditation process. "After 30 years in
this field," says Mr. Jackson, "I'm struck with how hard our
patients work in methadone treatment programs and how little
credit or respect they get in the community. This change to
accreditation is a solid move toward the medical model for
addiction treatment, and it's sure to help the image of opioid
treatment for our patients."
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