MAT Access

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is a proven way to help people recover from Opioid Use Disorder. There remains a large gap in access to the treatment specifically in Sacramento and El Dorado counties. Physicians must get an X-waiver to be legally allowed to give this specific type of treatment. Currently, the number of physicians who have the waiver and the number of patients they treat are not enough to fulfill the needs of the community. SCOC conducted a survey of these physicians to find out more about the barriers to access and make an action plan to increase access to MAT and created a MAT handout to spread awareness.

What is Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) ?

Medication-Assisted Treatment , SAMHSA

For patients with Opioid Use Disorder, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) combines medication with counseling and behavioral therapy to give them the best shot at recovery. This method avoids rapidly taking someone off medications and risk heavy withdrawals that harm the recovery process.

Effective Treatment for Opioid Addiction, NIDA

Medications commonly used are Buprenorphine (Suboxone®, Subutex®), methadone, and extended release naltrexone (Vivitrol®). They are all effective prescriptions used in MAT to help a patient stop using opioids and subdue the withdrawal pains.

Become a Buprenorphine Waivered Practitioner, SAMHSA

Physicians must go through a complete training to prescribe Buprenorphine. This is known as getting a “X-Waiver.” Not all prescribers have one. We need more certified prescribers fulfill our community’s need.

Find prescribers in California on this google map.
Find prescribers at SAMHSA Buprenorphine Practitioner Locator
Go to our Get Help page to find local resources. Many organizations can help you connect to the treatment you need.

SCOC MAT Handout

SCOC created a handout to help people learn about Medication-Assisted Treatment and find local resources.

Buprenorphine Study of Our Community

Our coalition brought together experts who wanted to help our community. They surveyed Buprenorphine prescribers in Sacramento and El Dorado County and gave us insight on specific barriers to MAT. We learned that in addition to the obstacles that patients face accessing MAT, doctors face their own barriers to giving out treatment.

Our community needs more prescribers
Finding X-Waivered prescribers is difficult – a barrier to treatment
Time constraints, reimbursement issues, and stigma are significant barriers

Read the full research paper here

Urban Health Institute Assessment of Needs in El Dorado and Sacramento Counties

The California Health Care Foundation funded the assessment of Opioid Use Disorder treatment needs in the state.

The Urban Health Institute conducted the assessment and created a database of county fact sheets. Click here to see all county fact sheets created in the assessment.

Sacramento

3.4% of opioid prescribers can prescribe buprenorphine (have the X-waiver).
More prescribers with X-Waivers are needed to fill the treatment gap of 15,902 people.
Prescribers with X-waivers were often treating only half the number of patients they could in Sacramento.

Sacramento Urban Health Institute 2019 Fact Sheet