SOLUTION: Treat addiction using evidence-based medication, like buprenorphine (aka Suboxone). Expand access to treatment through telemedicine.

STORY: At a clinic in Everett, Washington, a nurse pushes his patients to work hard, and the patients embark on their road to recovery. Do they have a chance? (Yes, and we’ll tell you why.)

This season we’re in Snohomish County, Washington which has an oversized share of overdose deaths in the state and is now treating the opioid epidemic like a natural disaster.

MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES:

Snohomish County overdose and addiction treatment resource guide

http://snohomishoverdoseprevention.com/treatment-and-support/

Overview of the evidence for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders, by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute of the University of Washington. http://adai.uw.edu/pubs/infobriefs/MAT.pdf

Research: Buprenorphine is an effective medication that can retain people in treatment.http://www.cochrane.org/CD002207/ADDICTN_buprenorphine-maintenance-versus-placebo-or-methadone-maintenance-for-opioid-dependence

Research: Patients on buprenorphine were 30 percent more likely to avoid a relapse and 50 percent more likely to stay alive than patients in drug treatment without medication. https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0532

Research: Four years after starting Suboxone, over 60% of patients were not using illegal drugs. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871615001143

http://adai.uw.edu/pubs/infobriefs/MAT.pdf