Rural Health, Inc. Offers Medication-Assisted Treatment Program in the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorders

In 2024, the United States reported a 24% decline in opioid involved overdose deaths. It is believed that number is dropping in large part due to programs that involve the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies.

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs, like the one offered at Rural Health, Inc., focuses on the “whole patient” approach in the treatment of opioid use disorders. The principal of meeting patients where they are in their recovery is the backbone of MAT. Research has shown that a combination of medication and therapy can successfully treat substance use disorders, and for some people struggling with addiction, MAT can help sustain recovery and prevent and reduce opioid overdose.

Access to MAT is not widely available in the US, which is why these programs are so important. “According to the CDC, medications for opioid use disorder reduce overdose mortality nationwide by roughly 50 to 70%, and are the standard of care for persons with opioid related substance use disorders.” said Erica Vining, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner for Rural Health, Inc. “Patients receiving medications for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) can reduce their risk of overdose death by up to 70% compared to those not receiving medication. Providing care in a region of the country with high rates of opioid use and deaths is why RHI offers this program to our patients.”

MAT is a medically supervised, evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder that stabilizes brain chemistry, reduces cravings, and significantly lowers the risk of overdose and death. It is not substituting one addiction for another, but rather treating a chronic medical condition with appropriate pharmacologic support.

In addition to decreasing the risk of opioid-related overdose deaths in the US by over 76% at 3 months, and 59% within a year of initial treatment, MAT also increases social functioning and retention of treatment, decreases opioid use, criminal activity, transmission of infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C, and improves maternal and fetal outcomes for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

“Despite all this, opioid overdose continues to be the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 44,” says Vining, “This is why MAT programs and reducing the stigma of opioid overuse is so important.”

Don’t let the stigma of seeking treatment stop you from reaching out. MAT is available to patients with OUD without a referral. To learn more, contact Ali Brown at RHI at 618-833-4471 to schedule a consultation.

Rural Health, Inc. (RHI) is a not-for-profit organization serving Johnson, Massac, and Union counties in Illinois, designated by the federal government as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), whose mission is to provide quality services to all patients in need of healthcare while being committed to the overall health and well-being of the underserved.

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