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OPIOID USE DISORDER IS AN ILLNESS.


NOT A CHARACTER FLAW.

How you got here isn’t important, but where you go now is. It is possible to
overcome your addiction. We’re here to help.

Find Help Now



MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT (MAT): COMPASSIONATE, SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN CARE.

No two people with Opioid Use Disorder are the same, and their treatments
shouldn’t be either. FDA-approved medications are highly effective in stopping
withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Hear from an expert on MAT. Patients are often
surprised at how quickly they feel better.

A MAT program can also include a customized counseling plan to help you manage
your life moving forward. Hear from a recovering patient.



HELP IS HERE.

If you or someone you know has Opioid Use Disorder, the first step to recovery
is finding a provider that can help. Whether you’re looking to start MAT, get
counseling or generally learn more about the illness, having an expert on your
side is the best way to turn your life around.

It’s time to get better. This is how.

Using this map as a reference, contact a provider near you.

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a complete list of MAT and OUD clinics. There are many
other certified treatment and prevention clinics throughout Iowa. Explore other
options at yourlifeiowa.org/facility-locator. Please check this map periodically
for updates and additions.

AREA 1 AREA 2 AREA 3 AREA 6 AREA 8 AREA 9 AREA 4 AREA 5 AREA 7 AREA 10 AREA 15
AREA 17 AREA 19 AREA 11 AREA 12 AREA 14 AREA 13 AREA 16 AREA 18
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Service Area

Contractor

1

Rosecrance Jackson Centers, Spencer
Phone: 800-472-9018

2

Prairie Ridge Integrated Behavioral Healthcare, Mason City (1)
Phone: 866-429-2391

3

Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health, Decorah (4)
Phone: 800-400-8923

UCS Healthcare, Decorah (4)
Phone: 563-382-3649

4

Rosecrance Jackson Centers, Sioux City (1, 2, 3)
Phone: 800-472-9018

5

Community Opportunities DBA New Opportunities, Carroll (4)
Phone: 712-792-9266

UCS Healthcare, Carroll (4)
Phone: 712-792-9266

6

Community and Family Resources (CFR), Fort Dodge (1, 2, 4)
Phone: 866-801-0085

UCS Healthcare, Ames (4)
Phone: 515-232-3206

USC Healthcare, Fort Dodge (4)
Phone: 866-801-0085

7

Substance Abuse Treatment Unit of Central Iowa, Marshalltown
Phone: 641-752-5421

8

Pathways Behavioral Services, Inc., Waterloo (1, 4)
Phone: 319-235-6571

UCS Healthcare, Waterloo (4)
Phone: 319-235-6571

9

Area Substance Abuse Council, Inc. (ASAC), Dubuque
Phone: 563-582-3784

10

Area Substance Abuse Council, Inc. (ASAC), Cedar Rapids (1, 2, 3, 4)
Phone: 319-390-4611

UCS Healthcare, Cedar Rapids (4)
Phone: 319-390-4611

UCS Healthcare, Clinton (4)
Phone: 563-243-2124

11

Heartland Family Service, Council Bluffs (1, 3)
Phone: 712-322-1407

12

Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services, Atlantic (1, 4)
Phone: 712-243-5091

UCS Healthcare, Atlantic (4)
Phone: 712-243-5091

13

Crossroads Behavioral Health Services, Creston (4)
Phone: 641-782-8457

UCS Healthcare, Osceola (4)
Phone: 641-342-4888

14

House of Mercy, Des Moines (1,3)
Phone: 515-643-6500

Community and Family Resources (CFR), Des Moines (1)
Phone: 515-262-0349

UCS Healthcare, West Des Moines (4)
Phone: 515-280-3860

UCS Healthcare, Ankeny (4)
Phone: 515-280-3860

15

House of Mercy, Newton
Phone: 641-792-0717

UCS Healthcare, Knoxville (4)
Phone: 515-280-3860

16

Southern Iowa Economic Development Association (SIEDA), Ottumwa (4)
Phone: 800-622-8340

UCS Healthcare, Ottumwa (4)
Phone: 641-683-6747

17

Community and Family Resources (CFR), Iowa City (1)
Phone: 319-351-4357

University of Iowa Addiction and Recovery Collaborative, Iowa City
Phone: 319-384-8765

18

Alcohol & Drug Dependency Services (ADDS), Burlington (1, 4)
Phone: 319-753-6567

UCS Healthcare, Burlington (4)
Phone: 319-753-6567

19

Center for Alcohol & Drug Services, Inc. (CADS), Davenport (1)
Phone: 563-322-2667

Robert Young Center, Muscatine (4)
Phone: 563-264-9409

Revised February 2023

Many clinics also offer other specialized services. Match the services below
with the contractors in the chart above.

(1) Adult Residential Treatment

(2) Juvenile Residential Treatment

(3) Women and Children Treatment

(4) Methadone Treatment





ONE PATIENT’S JOURNEY.

See Sam’s story. With the right treatment and support, you can return to a
normal life.



Dr. Alison Lynch, MD, MS


Q&A WITH DR. LYNCH

A clinical professor of psychiatry and family medicine, Dr. Alison Lynch, MD,
MS, is also director of the Medication Assisted Treatment clinic at the
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Dr. Lynch is a leading expert in the
treatment of Opioid Use Disorder. She and her team have helped patients across
Iowa manage their addictions and regain their lives again.

Here, she answers the most frequently asked questions about opioid use disorder.

WHAT IS OPIOID USE DISORDER?

Dr. Lynch: Opioids are found in legal pain prescriptions and in illegal
substances, such as heroin.

At first, patients may report a pleasurable sensation from the medication. But
misused, or used for too long, and your body can develop a dependence on
opioids. You can then have withdrawal symptoms that disrupt your life.

Withdrawal can include nausea, diarrhea, anxiety, chills, tremors or other
uncomfortable symptoms. A lot of people will say early on, when they were taking
opioids, they felt like they had control over it. They were making conscious
decisions about using it.

But when somebody develops an Opioid Use Disorder, they may feel like they’ve
lost control over their use. Instead, the need to keep using opioids is now
controlling them.

WHAT ARE THE MISCONCEPTIONS AROUND THIS DISORDER?

Dr. Lynch: I think there are two things that people don’t understand about
Opioid Use Disorder. One is the misperception that it’s not treatable, or that
there are no effective treatments.

The other misperception is that Opioid Use Disorder is a character flaw. It’s
not – it’s a physiologic process. Our brains are wired to respond to positive
and negative stimuli this way.

For me, it makes sense to take a medical approach to understanding Opioid Use
Disorder. With this approach, we can tap into medical treatments and resources
to help people.

WHY DON'T PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS TREATABLE?

Dr. Lynch: I think there’s several reasons why we have this misconception that
it’s not treatable. One is because of stigma. If we say, “people develop an
addiction because they’re a bad person or they made bad choices,” then we’re not
thinking about it. We’re just blaming people, and that’s the end of the story.

The other thing is that addiction—and treatment for addiction—has been isolated
from the rest of health care. We treat people for substance use disorders in
separate settings.

It’s the structure of how as a society we’ve dealt with addiction. We’ve all
absorbed this idea that it’s not a medical problem. We’re still trying to dig
out of that hole that we trapped ourselves in.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO A PATIENT WHEN THEY COME TO YOUR CLINIC?

Dr. Lynch: I start by offering hope. I always tell people that I’m glad they
came to see us. My job is to help them figure out what they want to get out of
treatment and to work on their goals.

When I first start seeing them, there is often so much disarray and stress in
their lives. Some of them have legal problems. Some of them have relationship
issues. Some of them have unstable housing or don’t have a stable job.

I emphasize to them: Opioid Use Disorder can happen to anybody. People shouldn’t
be punished for it.

They should just be given help.

TELL US ABOUT MAT. WHY IS IT SUCCESSFUL IN TREATING OPIOID USE DISORDER?

Dr. Lynch: MAT stands for Medication Assisted Treatment, and that basically
includes FDA-approved medications that treat various substance use disorders.
The medication treats cravings. It works at the opioid receptors, which is where
the disorder is. It prevents withdrawal symptoms.

We’ll start with a low dose. If they tolerate it, an hour later we’ll give them
a bit more until we get the right therapeutic treatment.

They stay on the medicine for as long as they’re benefitting from it. For some
people that’s their whole life, and for some it’s a few years. I’ve seen a lot
of people who felt like they had lost control over their opioid use. It was
controlling them, and then they start treatment, and they feel like they’ve
gained control over their life again.

For some people, the counseling piece really augments the medication, helps them
work on some of the behaviors and lifestyle changes that they’re going through.

WHY DO YOU NEED BOTH MEDICATION AND COUNSELING? HOW LONG ARE MOST PEOPLE IN
THERAPY?

Dr. Lynch: I would say many people do some form of counseling for six to 12
months.

Some people will do it longer, as maintenance. They often don’t need to keep
doing intensive treatment. They may go to support groups or have a support
system that they keep in touch with regularly.

For some people who’ve had an addiction, if they encounter some new or worse
stressor, it can challenge their recovery.

There may be a time where they return to counseling. Or return to a support
group to help navigate through their recovery.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO SUSPECTS THAT A FRIEND OR A FAMILY MEMBER HAS
A PROBLEM WITH OPIOIDS?

Dr. Lynch: If they feel like they can bring it up in a way that doesn’t put them
on the defense, talk about it.

Anybody who is dealing with Opioid Use Disorder or wonders whether they have it,
I would encourage them to seek treatment. Talk with their doctor, talk with
friends, and find out who they can go to for help.

Blaming people, making them feel ashamed, or guilty: all of those contribute to
people not asking for help.

WHAT ELSE PREVENTS PATIENTS FROM SEEKING HELP?

Dr. Lynch: People who need treatment absorb lots of negative messages about
addiction and substance use.

Sadly, I’ve seen too many people feel like they don’t deserve treatment, or they
don’t deserve to be successful in their recovery. They blame themselves. They
think that if they just hadn’t made that mistake or done that certain thing that
they wouldn’t be in the situation that they’re in.

Therefore, they feel like they deserve this. It breaks my heart, but I don’t
feel that way. That’s why it’s helpful to think about this as a medical
condition.

WHAT KIND OF SUCCESS HAVE PATIENTS SEEN?

Dr. Lynch: I have so many patients with amazing inspirational stories. Every day
when I’m in the clinic, I see people who have done so much work and come so far
in their recovery.

I think back to when I met them several years ago and how much things have
changed.

I’ve seen people get the care they need in a way that’s respectful and
empowering. Getting one big piece of their life addressed and stabilized helps
other things fall into place.

Instilling self-confidence, that sense of empowerment, makes them feel like they
can be successful. And they are.

Media Contact
515-281-6699 |  lynn.hicks@ag.iowa.gov

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ABOUT THIS SITE

This website was created and is supported by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office
using money from a settlement with McKinsey & Co. The Iowa Attorney General’s
Office has secured multiple settlements with companies that contributed to the
opioids crisis. The office is dedicated to helping Iowans who suffer from Opioid
Use Disorder. You are not alone. Take advantage of these resources today.
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