Critical Stages in the Development of Methadone Maintenance Treatment Services

Methadone Maintenance Treatment: A Community Planning Guide

"Why would you want to give drug users more drugs?" or "If we start a methadone program in our community, won't all the drug users move into this area?" These questions are indicative of some of the issues that a planning group may encounter as they explore the possibility of setting up methadone maintenance treatment services. These types of questions must be addressed before a group can move forward with their plans.

Designing a local methadone initiative can either be a very challenging or easy task depending upon the attitudes and circumstances within a community. Unfortunately, it is difficult to predict how a community will respond to the concept of methadone maintenance treatment and how willing health care providers will be prepared to administer and offer services to patients.

Whatever the case may be, planning groups should be prepared to deal with a plethora of problems, issues and concerns. These stages that have been put together are designed to help a community planning group anticipate, avoid and address problematic situations that may arise.

Here is a list of the stages:

1. Identification and Verification of Need
   • Gather Information from Community Sources
   • Verification of Need
2. Establishment of a Community Working Group
   • Inviting Community Partners
   • Inviting Resistant Stakeholders
   • Initial Meeting - Educating the Working Group
   • Dealing with Conflict
   • Establishing Consensus
3. Methadone Maintenance Treatment Model Development
   • Determining Essential Components of a Methadone Program
   • Recruiting Methadone Service Providers
   • Developing Methadone Maintenance Treatment/Determining Resource Needs
   • Identifying and Addressing Barriers
   • Developing Partnerships
   • Educating the Community
   • Development of a Logic Model
4. Implementation
   • Development of an Implementation Plan
   • Training and Education of Methadone Service Providers
   • Provision of Methadone Services
   • Providing Support to the Plan and the Service Providers
   • Development of Communication Links and Protocols Among Service Providers and the Working Group
   • Role of the Community Working Group
5. Evaluation
   • Development of an Evaluation Plan
   • Impact of Service on Clients
   • Impact of Service on the Community
   • Recruitment of Additional Service Providers
   • Improving the Service/Maintenance of Service

Next>> Identification and Verification of Need

Methadone Maintenance Treatment: A Community Planning Guide

1. Preface
2. Introduction - How to Use the Guide
3. Methadone Maintenance Treatment - Rationale and Benefits
4. Methadone Maintenance Treatment - Service Components and Delivery Models
5. Critical Stages in the Development of Methadone Maintenance Treatment Services
   1. Identification and Verification of Need
   2. Establishment of a Community Working Group
   3. Methadone Maintenance Treatment Model Development
   4. Implementation
   5. Evaluation
6. Continuity of Care for Methadone Patients
7. Special Treatment Issues
8. Community Development Troubleshooting Guide
9. Appendix - Methadone Fact Sheet
10. References
11. Recommended Resources

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