New clinic opens in Salem to treat opioid addiction
SALEM, Ore. — A new choice to get help has opened up in Salem as more options emerge to give those struggling with opioid addiction a way out of the vicious cycle.
The brand new clinic Ideal Option opened its doors on Liberty Street NE near the intersection of High Street NE.
For medical provider Anya Hill, it's rewarding to welcome in new patients.
"This experience of helping people in this way and being a guide and walking alongside them and meeting them wherever they're at -- when they come in you bring to us whoever you are in that moment," Hill told KATU News. "What people often tell us is, 'I just want to get my life back.'"
Ideal Option is one of thousands of clinics nationwide connecting clients with buprenorphine. Approved for clinical use in October 2002 by the Food and Drug Administration, medications such as buprenorphine, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of opioid dependency, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
"Different from opiates, Buprenorphine has what's called a 'ceiling effect,' which means that you cannot build a tolerance to this drug. So when people take opiates, they develop a tolerance to it and then you have to take more to feel okay. So Buprenorphine does not have that. We figure out the right dose and that's the dose. You don't need more as time goes on," Hill explained.
Buprenorphine is safe and effective when taken as prescribed, SAMHSA stated.
Staff at Ideal Option said people who need help can come in and be seen as soon as possible. Their vital signs will be checked and they will speak with staff about getting on medication-assisted treatment.
"Our goal at Ideal Option is to remove barriers to proven treatment and connect people to the resources they need to rebuild their lives and relationships," Jeff Allgaier, founder and chief medical officer at Ideal Option, said in a statement. "Our new clinic in Salem has no waitlists and accepts all forms of insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare. No member of the Marion County community who needs treatment for addiction will be turned away. It’s the only way to truly make a dent in the opioid epidemic."
This help is desperately needed, as statistics show that Oregon has the fourth-highest addiction rate of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Yet, Oregon ranks 50th in access to treatment. The statistics were compiled from a national survey on drug use and health conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Hill hopes the new clinic in Salem starts a trend where people in-need of help see the success stories with medication-assisted treatment, such as buprenorphine. Ideal Option already has clinics open in Hillsboro, Tigard, and Corvallis.
"People are taking their opiates not to get high. Pretty quickly they build a tolerance and they're just taking that drug to keep from getting sick," Hill said. "The people who are less apprehensive when they come to us, they've seen it. They see people who are Ideal Option patients who have been coming to us and they see an amazing difference. They're hope is that can happen for them."
CONTACT THE IDEAL OPTION CLINIC
The clinic in Salem is located at 863 Liberty St NE. and will begin offering treatment for new and continuing patients Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.