On May 9, 2017, the Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to the existing agreement with the State of California (State) Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to increase funding for the provision of alcohol and other drug treatment and prevention services. The funding increased largely as a result of the change from “County of Service” to “County of Responsibility” for the provision of and payment for drug and alcohol services. This change provides that the funding for these Shasta County Medi-Cal beneficiaries services whether provided in Butte County or Shasta County, comes from Shasta County.
Substance use disorder is a brain disease and can make distinct changes in the brain when substances are abused. The Centers for Disease Control recommends the use of Medication Assisted Treatment for opioid abuse to address these changes in the brain. The most commonly used medications include buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. These medications reduce cravings and allow people to more effectively participate in treatment. Buprenorphine and naltrexone can be obtained through Drug Enforcement Agency-certified providers including primary care physicians and addiction specialists. Methadone, on the other hand, can only be prescribed for opioid use disorders through a Narcotic Treatment Program (NTP).
Until recently, Aegis was the closest NTP located in Butte County. Since methadone must be dispensed and observed daily by medical staff, this has meant that Shasta County residents had to drive daily to Chico to receive this medication. On any given day, between 60 – 70 people have been making this daily drive. In response to situations like this throughout the State, DHCS developed and approved what is known as a Medication Unit. People receiving methadone treatment can now go to a Medication Unit six days a week in Redding to receive their daily observed dosage of methadone. One day a week they drive to a NTP in Chico for individual counseling, doctor visits, daily observed dosage of methadone, and treatment planning.
This agreement will pay for treatment for Shasta County Medi-Cal beneficiaries who receive methadone treatment services from Aegis through their NTP in Butte County and the Medication Unit in Shasta County. DHCS approved the medication unit in Shasta County in March 2017 to help address the opioid epidemic in the United States and the high overdose death rate experienced locally. Shasta County began working on this agreement as soon as we were informed that Aegis intended to locate a medication unit in Redding. Once the unit was certified and open, they began serving Shasta County residents through the local facility to improve the health and well-being of the clients. The contracting process has taken somewhat longer than the certification process, which resulted in this agreement being retroactive.