STEP 3
Scheduled Intakes
Please arrive at the clinic 15 minutes before your appointment. Make sure that you have completed all of the online forms in your patient portal before arriving, this will speed up the process. Please bring your ID card, insurance card, and any prescription medication you are currently taking with you to the appointment.
Walk In Intakes
If you elect to bypass the online screening process and walk in, we will still see you but you will have to be worked in. These types of appointments often take 3 or more hours as you will have to do all of the paperwork and screening parts before you see the nurse. If you walk in you must arrive by 6:30 am, any later we can complete the paperwork and counselor part of the intake, but we most likely will not be able to provide medication on that day. You can call the clinic before traveling to see if they can do a same day accommodation.
Fees
You must arrive with admit fees and pay those before any services can begin. You will be required to pay the admit and medication fee when you arrive. If you are not admitted, we will refund your medication fees. There is no refund for intake fees. We accept cash, credit and debit cards.
What you can expect
When you arrive, the receptionist will check you in, collect your fees and make sure that everything is completed in your patient portal. Anything that is outstanding in the portal you will be given a tablet to complete. If you have questions about anything, the receptionist or a counselor can help you.
After all the paperwork is completed, you will be asked to provide a urine drug screen.
The nurse will then meet with you and take a medical history and verify information you provided in the portal and get any additional information. The nurse will test your urine for opiates and assess your withdrawal symptoms. In order to receive medication on intake day, you must have observable withdrawal symptoms.
After you meet with the nurse, she will contact the doctor with your information and seek an order for admission and initial medication. While the nurse is talking with the doctor, you will meet with a clinic counselor who will give you a basic orientation, discuss overdose prevention, and assign your primary counselor. The counselor will talk with you about your needs and help select the best counselor for you.
Once you have scheduled counseling services, you will meet with the nurse who will inform you of the doctor's orders and provide medication if ordered. The nurse will then go over your dosing schedule and the clinic hours.
You must remain in the clinic for 30 minutes after you receive your medication. We will need to make sure you do not have any adverse reaction. After 30 minutes you may leave the clinic.
When you get home that first day
It is really important for you to monitor and evaluate how your medication works. The nurse will need to know how long after receiving the medication did your withdrawal symptoms start. What were they and how severe. Keep track of when and how specific withdrawal symptoms get worse. This will help the doctor to adjust medication. It is very important that you do not take another opiate (alcohol or other drug) to mask your withdrawal symptoms. It will be uncomfortable for the first several days until you get to a stabilizing dose. It's really dangerous to take opiates, sedatives, or alcohol with methadone or buprenorphine.
Some other things you need to know
If for some reason we don't admit you, the nurse will tell you why and the counselor will help you find a treatment option.
If you are coming for pain management, we don't treat pain as the primary diagnosis and we have very limited treatment options. If you have chronic pain and are taking medication, the doctor will mostly want to talk with you before we admit you. We are an addiction treatment program. We do have people who come to us because they want to "get off" their pain medication. We can help with that.
If you are taking other prescribed medication that is a CNS depressant (sedatives/benzodiazepines, etc.). The doctor may have restrictions around medication limits and availability-especially methadone. You will most likely be required to come to the clinic daily for observed dosing. The nurse will talk with you about this during the admission.
We are not a detox program. We do help people with getting free of opiates. And it's a long process (9-12 months). If your goal is to eventually be completely off opiates, let the nurse and counselor know this and the time line so we can give you some information to help you better select your medication preference.
If you are pregnant, we will work collaboratively with your OB-GYN, there is a lot of coordination of care and advocacy. Let us know any issues or important information. All women (of childbearing status) are given a pregnancy test at the time of admission.
Take Home Medication
Federal regulation requires all persons receiving methadone to come to the clinic daily (1st 90 days) for dosing and observation. However, the clinic is closed on Sunday. You will receive one dose of medication to take home. This will need to be secured in a locking box. You will need to have this with you at the clinic to receive the take home. The nurse will explain this to you at the time of admission.
If you receive suboxone in the clinic, you may be required to come daily as well. However, this will be up to the doctor based on your tolerance of the medication. You will also need a lock box for any medication leaving the clinic.
This does not apply to people who have prescriptions called into the pharmacy.