Publications / County Data Snapshots Highlight Increased Need for Medication-Assisted Treatment

County Data Snapshots Highlight Increased Need for Medication-Assisted Treatment

A key strategy in the fight against the opioid epidemic is medication-assisted treatment (MAT), the use of medications with behavioral treatments to treat addiction. But most Californians live in places without enough access to this therapy.

To help local leaders plan to meet growing demand, the Urban Institute created snapshots for each California county showing the prevalence of opioid use disorder and available treatment resources. (Los Angeles County was divided into service planning areas due to its size.) Assuming 20% of people with opioid use disorder seek treatment at any one time, the researchers estimated the “treatment gap” and suggested strategies to meet the demand for treatment.

Treatment capacity is estimated using availability of opioid treatment programs (methadone clinics) and buprenorphine prescribers, since public data sources exist for both medications.

Strategies to increase MAT treatment capacity include:

Readers can select their own county and download for review on the Urban Institute’s website.

Watch our webinar on this topic to learn more. All slides are included for download under Related Materials.

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