Bristol methadone clinic fills substance use treatment gap

BRISTOL, Va. — A new clinic in Bristol offers locals struggling with opioid use disorder a closer option for medication-assisted treatment. Cedar Recovery's Bristol Opioid Treatment Program, the first facility of its kind for at least 30 miles, offers methadone treatment and an adjoining suboxone clinic. Both methadone and suboxone are medications used to treat opioid use disorder. Methadone, often considered the "gold standard" of medicated treatment, is particularly effective for people struggling with fentanyl use. The methadone clinic has served more than approximately 150 patients since it opened in January, Bristol Program Director Laurie Street said. It is in network with both Tennessee Virginia Medicaid, which staff said makes it more accessible. "Obviously, the need was in the community, because we've grown pretty fast," she said. "A lot of [patients], the outside world maybe has not been too kind, and they get the support that they need here." Even with first-line treatment, the clinic stresses that recovery is much more than a dose of medicine. "Nobody gets better by using medication alone," said Paul Trivette, chief strategy officer of Cedar Recovery. "Medication is only designed to help resolve cravings, so that a person can focus on those behavioral changes that they need to make and that we are there to support." When a patient first walks in, they complete lab work and meet with a medical provider and counselor. For the first eight days of treatment, they must receive their dose in-person at the clinic. They are then eligible for take-home doses, but still meet with them at least once a month throughout the program. Alena Oliver, a staff counselor at the clinic, said they try to meet with patients at least once a week when they start treatment. Counselors help set goals, check in and can refer them to other outpatient mental healthcare facilities. They also meet with patients more than required by the state, she added, because they want to establish a two-way street of trust. "[We're] making sure that they're not just getting a medication, they're getting their other needs met as well," Oliver said. "That more holistic approach, I think that's really made it easier for us to have a higher retention rate… and people not only meeting their goals in recovery, but their other goals they have in life." While there is still some stigma around medication-assisted treatment in the area — which is sometimes falsely stereotyped as trading one addiction for another — clinic staff say they haven't faced the type of pushback that infamously challenged other facilities, like Overmountain Recovery in Johnson City. "Addiction is a disease of the brain," Street said. "We need [methadone] just like somebody who needs their insulin or their high blood pressure medicine." Trivette added that the facility, which expects to serve up to 400 patients in the future, has high expectations in making sure patients get the best quality care and understand what it takes to achieve true recovery. Cedar Recovery is also working on future pharmacy partnerships and potential expansion into other parts of Virginia. "My charge to the community would please be to love and welcome and know that we are doing the same," Trivette said.