| Name rehabs | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance Recovery Center | 119 Sycamore Drive, Athens, Georgia, 30606 | (706) 8502-121 |
| Atlanta Metro Treatment Center | 6500 McDonough Drive Suite B-2, Norcross, Georgia, 30093 | (770) 2427-865 |
| Bright Star Healthcare Group | 1545 Pennsylvania Avenue, McDonough, Georgia, 30253 | (470) 7811-630 |
| Changing Phases Behavior Support Inc | 3655 Canton Road Suite 201, Marietta, Georgia, 30066 | (678) 9035-197 |
| Consecrated Care Inc | 217 Arrowhead Boulevard Suite B-1, Jonesboro, Georgia, 30236 | (770) 4729-110 |
| DM & ADR Inc | 1710 Commerce Road, Athens, Georgia, 30607 | (706) 5520-688 |
| Gateway Treatment Centers LLC | 37 Kiker Street, Ellijay, Georgia, 30540 | (706) 7032-517 |
| Genesis Center of Winder LLC | 206 East Broad Street, Winder, Georgia, 30680 | (404) 5586-852 |
| GPA Treatment Inc | 4255 Chamblee-Tucker Road, Atlanta, Georgia, 30340 | (770) 4931-922 |
| Harbor Springs Counseling Services | 1790 Mulkey Road Suite 3-A, Austell, Georgia, 30106 | (770) 6939-388 |
Rules and regulations: Georgia adheres to strict regulations regarding methadone clinics, as outlined by federal and state laws. All clinics must be certified and meet standards for dispensing and administering methadone.
Certification procedures:
- Clinics must be inspected and authorized by both federal and state agencies before dispensing methadone
- Staff must undergo specialized training and licensing
- Detailed patient records and dispensing logs must be maintained
Benefits of medication-assisted treatment:
- Methadone and other medications help opioid addiction patients stabilize, pursue recovery, and reduce overdose deaths
- Clinics provide counseling, support services, and community referrals along with medications
How clinics operate and their purpose: Methadone clinics aim to improve public health and reduce harms associated with opioid addiction in a regulated clinical setting.
Insurance Coverage
Free clinics: Some nonprofit clinics offer free or low-cost treatment based on patient income eligibility.
Public and private insurance coverage details: Methadone treatment is covered by Medicaid in Georgia. Private insurance plans usually include coverage, often with copays or restrictions. Uninsured patients may qualify for state and local programs to help pay clinic fees.
Drug Use in Georgia
Opioid crisis declared public health emergency: Georgia has seen a sharp increase in opioid misuse and overdoses, with 882 opioid overdose deaths in 2020.
Statistics on drug overdoses and deaths:
- 8,000+ drug overdose deaths from 2018-2020
- Overdose death rates increased 40% from 2019 to 2020
Data on prevalence of different substances: Opioids like prescription pain relievers, heroin, and fentanyl are most common, followed by cocaine and methamphetamine.
Addiction Treatment Overview
Inpatient Treatment
Description: Residential rehab where patients live onsite 24/7 and receive medical detox and intensive counseling.
Length of stay, procedures, services: Typical stays last 28 days on average. Treatment includes group and individual therapy, medical care, case management.
Outpatient Treatment
Description: Patients receive services at a clinic or office for 1-5 hours multiple days per week while living at home.
Frequency of services, location: Outpatient rehab varies from weekly to daily programs offered in both rural clinics and urban centers.
Treatment Level Unreported
Description and estimates: Nearly half of addiction treatment cases in Georgia did not specify inpatient vs. outpatient status.
Comparison of Treatment in Georgia vs. Neighboring Major City
| City | Facilities | Inpatient Beds | Cost of Treatment |
| Atlanta, GA | 163 | 3,000+ | $15,000-$30,000 |
| Birmingham, AL | 124 | 2,200+ | $10,000-$25,000 |
Methadone Treatment
What is Methadone
Mechanism as medication assisted treatment, OTP principle: Methadone is an opioid agonist medication used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs to treat opioid use disorder. It activates opioid receptors, preventing cravings and withdrawal symptoms. It is only provided through certified opioid treatment programs (OTPs) due to risks.
Societal perspectives on methadone treatment: Methadone treatment has been controversial, with some seeing it as merely replacing one opioid with another. However, research shows MAT with methadone is clinically proven to help patients recover.
Explanation in layman terms: Methadone tricks the brain into thinking it is still getting the problem opioid, allowing people dependent on high doses of opioids to gradually taper down their usage.
Methadone Distribution
Description of monitoring and regulations:
- Urine testing: Federal regulations require at least 8 random drug tests in the first year of methadone treatment to ensure appropriate use and compliance.
- Take-home requirements: Patients must follow program rules for 90 days before becoming eligible for limited take-home doses, eventually earning up to 30 days’ supply after 2 years in treatment.
- Monitoring: Certified methadone clinics have interdisciplinary teams providing medical care, counseling, case management to support patients.
- Prescription drug monitoring: Clinicians check the state’s prescription database before dosing to catch potentially dangerous drug interactions.
Georgia state drug classifications: Methadone is a Schedule II controlled substance, indicating accepted medical use but also potential for abuse and dependence.
Methadone Treatment Effectiveness Research
Methadone is an effective medication for treating opioid use disorder used since 1947. Studies validate methadone’s efficacy:
Evidence for Effectiveness:
- 33% fewer opioid-positive drug tests for patients on MAT
- 4.44 times more likely to stay in treatment with methadone
Retention in treatment reduces overdose mortality risk by 50% while increasing employment.
Major Drawbacks:
- Potential for misuse/diversion
- Severe withdrawal if stopped suddenly
- Cardiac issues in some patients
- Respiratory depression/overdose risk when combined with benzos/alcohol
Comparison to Other Medications: Methadone and buprenorphine are equally effective for reducing illicit opioid use.
Conclusion: Methadone has demonstrated benefits but also serious risks requiring careful administration and monitoring.
About Georgia
Location, county & list of neighbouring states: Georgia is located in the southeastern United States. It shares borders with Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, and the Atlantic Ocean. There are 159 counties in Georgia.
Capital and largest city: The capital and largest city in Georgia is Atlanta.
Land area: Georgia covers over 59,000 square miles of land area.
Infrastructure: Georgia has over 1,200 miles of coastline and over 70,000 miles of highway. The Port of Savannah is one of the busiest seaports in the Western Hemisphere.
Population Statistics
Total population: As of 2021 estimates, Georgia has a population of over 10.7 million residents.
Demographics:
Gender:
- 51% female
- 49% male
Age brackets:
- 22% are under age 18
- 61% are ages 18-64
- 17% are over age 65
Occupations:
- Management, business, science and arts occupations account for 33% of jobs
- Sales and office occupations another 24%
- Service sector jobs account for 17%
- Natural resources, construction, maintenance occupations 15%
