Ideal Option Opens Larger Opioid Disorder Treatment Location In Everett

Today clients, elected officials and those who work on the front lines in the battle against opioid addiction got together to mark the opening of the expanded Ideal Option clinic at 43rd and Hoyt in Everett, Washington.

One year ago Ideal Option was in a heated situation with the City of Everett after a public outcry from downtown business owners when they located a larger clinic space to provide Medically Assisted Treatment for opioid disorders at 2808 Hoyt in downtown Everett. Two days after they signed a lease the Everett City Council put a moratorium on any clinics in the B3 zone in downtown Everett while they worked out the definition of clinic and decided on zoning for what is now called “Metro Everett”.

Meanwhile the City of Everett administration began working to find a location for Ideal Option that was outside of the downtown Everett core. Once a location was found Ideal Option dropped their request to be allowed to open at 2808 Hoyt. It has taken nearly a year but three weeks ago the new location opened.

Ideal option uses multiple modes of treatment but they are not a methadone clinic. For three years they have operated out of a small location just north of 37th and Colby. They describe their treatment options as a comprehensive Medication Assisted Treatment (Suboxone® / Buprenorphine, Vivitrol® / Naltrexone, Acamprosate and many other medications) Program.

They currently see about 100 patients per day in the Everett location on Hoyt and have additional Snohomish County locations in Arlington, Mountlake Terrace and Monroe. The new clinic on Hoyt has more than twice the room of the Colby location and in an announcement made today will soon partner with Bridgeways to help offer employment services to their clients.

Today’s opening included a panel discussion with multiple clients receiving treatment at Ideal Option, U. S. Congressman Rick Larsen, Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin and others working in the field.

Amber, a client at Ideal Option spoke of how she became addicted to opioids after an injury and a doctor began prescribing large amounts of oxycodone for her pain. That doctor faced discipline and she was cut off from all pain medications by the next doctor she visited. With no middle ground she turned to street drugs.

Another client spoke of moving here to get treatment assistance after finding no support available in her home town of New Orleans, a third spoke of how methadone did not work for him and stated he used to go to a methadone clinic to sell heroin to people there.

Congressman Larsen spoke of how addicts should not apologize for being addicts and elected officials should not apologize for taking a stand against addiction. “Addiction is not a moral failure,” Larsen said. He also talked about funding of the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act. It was started by the Obama administration in 2016 and continues to receive support from the Trump administration. Larsen said he also wanted to see more efforts put forth for drug interdiction and concentrating on shutting down the black market that is now supplying opioids and fueling a rise in methamphetamine use. “Those are the people who we need to be putting into jail,” Larsen added.

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin told of how she often hears from people that nothing is being done in Everett. That, she said is not the case. “I see evidence of how we are making progress, 200 people got mental health or drug dependency referrals in just the past month.”

Those speaking agreed that one of the big drivers to success is first to be able to get a person into treatment right away. Medically Assisted Treatment without delay. Then adding help with how to live a daily life, basic skills, meeting needs for shelter, health and working toward setting and meeting goals, employment and self-sufficiency.

Also changing the conversations. With doctors in how to talk with patients and raise awareness on how to deal with treating pain, with taking away stigma and treating addiction as a health issue like diabetes, asthma or other disease where people are encouraged to get and maintain long-term care and treatment. Community and conversations seemed to be the path most people at the event agreed would help make treatment successful.