If you need evidence-based treatment opioid use disorder (OUD) at a methadone clinic in Somerdale, New Jersey (NJ), you should know that treatment for opioid addiction, heroin addiction, or prescription opioid addiction is available nearby.
In 2023, opioid overdose fatalities decreased nationwide for the first time since 2018. While that news is encouraging – and tells us the new harm reduction approach to the opioid crisis may be working – it’s important to understand that the crisis has claimed over a million lives nationwide since 1999. The crisis does not discriminate. Young, old, rich, poor, rural, urban, white, black, gay, straight – every demographic group has experienced harm from this public health crisis.
That’s why we’re committed to offering medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with methadone at our facility in in Camden County, Nj:
Somerdale Treatment Services
Over the past five years in Camden County, overdose rates increased from 2018-2019, decreased in 2020, increased again from 2021-2011, but decreased in 2023. In 2024, rates are on track for another reduction, which is another data point that builds the case that the new harm reduction approach in New Jersey is effective. Saving lives and improving quality of life is the goal of treatment, and for the first time in decades, we see a nationwide strategy that – if preliminary data is accurate, and the trend continues – may be the beginning of the end of the worst part of the opioid crisis.
About Methadone Clinics
Federal regulations currently mandate that methadone treatment must occur through Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs), which are addiction treatment centers that meet the guidelines written and enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) support patients with methadone, counseling, therapy, peer support, and other forms of psychosocial assistance designed to treat the whole person and lead to overall health and wellbeing. In New Jersey, we provide methadone services throughout the state. You can find all our New Jersey locations here:
Our Locations: New Jersey
Our Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) Somerdale, NJ, provides medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with methadone for patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder, which includes addiction to any type of opioid.
Harm Reduction: The Basics
For decades, lawmakers tried various approaches to the problem of drug addiction. The War on Drugs from the 80s focused on a punitive approach. We can all see in retrospect that that approach failed on more levels than it succeeded. When the opioid crisis appeared in the 2000s and continued into the 2010s, regulators attempted to control the crisis by establishing prescribing guidelines for opioids designed to reduce risk of misuse – but that didn’t work. Now, based on evidence from programs in Europe that demonstrate its effectiveness, we’ve changed course. Our new national strategy is called harm reduction.
For a detailed explanation of the harm reduction approach to opioid addiction, please read this article on our blog:
The Opioid Crisis: What is Harm Reduction?
Here’s a quick summary of that article: harm reduction prioritizes meeting people where they are and offering them treatment they’ll accept in the manner that works best for them. Harm reduction providers work toward long-term recovery and helping people re-engage with family, work, and education. The goal is to reach and help more people through empathy and compassion, as opposed to using punishment/criminality as a primary deterrent.
How Methadone Clinics and Harm Reduction Help New Jersey
In 2022, legislators in New Jersey passed a new set of provisions to expand access to harm reduction programs for anyone with addiction, with a specific focus on opioid use disorder. Here’s how Governor Chris Murphy describes the legislation:
“Over the last four years, my Administration has prioritized a comprehensive, data-driven approach to ending New Jersey’s opioid epidemic. Harm reduction is a cornerstone of our strategy, and through this legislation, we are paving the way for long-overdue expansion of…critical services to help people with substance use disorders stay healthy, stay alive, and thrive.”
Experts at Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) agree: MAT with MOUDs such as methadone is the gold standard treatment for opioid addiction. Five decades of research show that MAT can help patients:
- Reduce overall opioid use
- Reduce risk of overdose fatality
- Decrease criminal behavior
- Decrease risk of contracting/spreading infectious disease
- Improve function across life domains, including work, family, and school
- Increases time in treatment
- Reduced death related to opioid use opioid-related
At Pinnacle, we tailor treatment plans to align with the personal goals of our patients. A methadone program is about more than the methadone. Treatment may include individual and/or group counseling, lifestyle changes like healthy eating/exercise, educational workshops, community/peer support, and complementary approaches like stress management with mindfulness, yoga, or meditation. Since everyone is different, every plan is different, designed to maximize the strengths of each patient. We work with families and patients throughout the treatment process with one goal in mind: long-term, sustainable recovery.
Finding a Methadone Clinic in Somerdale, New Jersey
If you or someone close to you has opioid use disorder and is looking for a methadone clinic in Somerdale, NJ, please call us at Somerdale Treatment Services. We can help you start effective, evidence-based treatment that addresses immediate and long-term needs. Reach out to use here at Pinnacle, or consult these resources:
- New Jersey residents: Addiction Treatment Providers -Treatment Directory Application (rutgers.edu)
- New Jersey residents without insurance: 1-844 ReachNJ.GOV at (844) 732-2465
- IME Addiction Access Center: call (844) 276-2777 for 24/7/365 referral support
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) online treatment locator
The Opioid Crisis: Facts and Figures
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show the following data for overdose deaths over the past six years:
Overdose Deaths in the United States 2018-2023
- 2018: 67,850
- 2019: 71,130
- 2020: 92,478
- 2021: 106,699
- 2022: 108,388
- 2023: 105,227
Deaths increased 60 percent between 2018 and 2022, then decreased by three percent between 2022 and 2023. Though this decrease was small, it’s promising, and we hope it’s the beginning of a sustained reversal of our decades-long increases.
Now let’s look at the latest figures for Somerdale, where we support patients at Somerdale Treatment Services. This information is available to the public on the New Jersey Opioid Dashboard and the NJ Cares Opioid-Related Data website.
Here’s the most recent data, up to July 9th, 2024:
Overdose in Camden County 2018-2024
- 2018: 327
- 2019: 340
- 2020: 288
- 2021: 335
- 2022: 354
- 2023: 326
- 2024: 115
The decreases over the past three years are a sign shows we’re headed in the right direction. But we need to be careful: while decreases are what we want to see, we have work to do. Every overdose fatality is a tragedy, and every saved life is a victory. We’ll focus on the victories, with full awareness of the ongoing pain addiction causes our families and communities. At our Methadone Clinic in Somerdale NJ, we commit to supporting people in the community with OUD with MAT programs. We’ll use all the tools we have, including therapy, counseling, peer support, and a range of services designed to promote long-term, sustainable recovery.