Northwest Integrated Health

About Northwest Integrated Health

Northwest Integrated Health (NWIH) is a network of outpatient opioid treatment clinics across Pierce County, and their Lakewood South clinic is one of two locations that dispense methadone. They treat substance use disorder, especially opioid addiction, as a chronic disease, and they pair medication with care for a patient’s physical health, mental health, and social circumstances. Each new patient is assessed by a physician and a chemical dependency professional, and the treatment plan is matched to the severity of their illness and revisited as their needs change. They accept a range of private insurance plans and Washington Apple Health, and a sliding fee scale based on income and family size is open to every patient.

Medication options include liquid methadone, buprenorphine (including long-acting injections), and naltrexone as a daily tablet or monthly Vivitrol shot to curb opioid and alcohol cravings, and naloxone is co-prescribed with every methadone and buprenorphine prescription. Methadone patients must also see a mental health provider and a chemical dependency counselor, so therapy is built into that track from the start. Beyond medication, patients have access to addiction counseling, mental health counseling with clinical psychologists and social workers, peer support groups, and recovery coaching. NWIH also provides primary care, wound care, and Hepatitis C testing and treatment, offers courtesy dosing for patients away from their home clinic, and works closely with local hospitals, jails, drug courts, and needle exchanges.