COVID-19 is the Corona (CO) Virus (VI) Disease (D) that started in 2019 (19). Coronaviruses are a long known virus causing upper and lower respiratory illness in humans for centuries. This new variant is considerably more virulent (causes severe illness) as compared to its previous types. It is transmitted by respiratory droplets primarily as well as surfaces.
ASAP takes the safety of its patients and employees very serious. The following steps have been taken to assure everyone's safety:
1. Mandatory mask use at all times in the clinic by patients and staff.
2. Lobby numbers limited to 10 or less.
3. Social distancing
4. Readily available hand sanitizer
5. Frequent cleaning of lobby and patient care areas
6. Plexiglass barriers
7. Efficient dosing and patient care
8. Remote check in with the Engage App.
Private dosing booths are just that, PRIVATE. Most facilities have dosing windows open to the lobby where everyone can hear your business and any medical concerns you have. ASAP provides private insulated dosing booths so that you may have private conversations with medical staff to discuss your concerns or needs.
The simplest way is to contact 608-807-1428 for our Madison office or 414-928-1401 for our West Allis office and start the admission process. What does that involve?
1. Once contact is made for admission with one of our treating facilities you will undergo a quick screening process by one of our
trained staff.
- This take 10-15 minutes
- Schedule the admission time that works best for you. When you transfer this is a new admission even though you have been
in treatment. Expect to be in the clinic 2 - 3 hours to finish this whole process.
2. You may also arrange "guest dosing to transfer" with your current facility.
- Contact your counselor at your facility to arrange for guest dosing. This allows you to receive treatment for up to 13 days
consecutively at our facility. If you find that you would like to transfer then during the 13 days you would complete the
admission process. If at the end of the 13 days you decide that your previous clinic is a better match for you. No problem,
you return there for continued care with no need for readmission. This allows you to check our facility out without leaving the
one you are currently at.
The most important thing involved in treatment is your desire to treat your addiction and gain sobriety long term. Addiction is considered a chronic disease with the risk of relapse. ASAP will give you the tools and resources to treat and manage your addiction both in the short and long term.
Treatment is a multidisciplinary approach. This means several specially trained people will be involved in your treatment and if needed others can be consulted to help you achieve your goals. ASAP employ's AODA (Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse) trained staff who are passionate to help you along your journey. ASAP also staffs clinic sites with experienced and caring Board Certified Addictionologist's to help you manage the medical aspect.
Click the admissions tab on this website or call 608-807-1428 for our Madison office or 414-928-1401 for our West Allis office and start the admission process. Same day appointments are available. To secure one of the same day appointments please call as early as possible. Otherwise, call to schedule an appointment as your schedule allows.
For individuals engaged in treatment at ASAP, this is how they check in for treatment.
The check-in process at ASAP are streamlined for convenience and efficiency. For those that have been in treatment in the past at other facilities and participated in the hand held number system that creates long lines, will really appreciate this. Once admitted to one of our facilities the nursing staff will create a biometric profile for you. Once completed, you will be able to use your finger to quickly scan in at the clinic. This will place you in line to see the nursing staff in one of our private and confidential dosing booths. Once checked in at the kiosk your identification number will appear in order on the monitor. You may take a seat and comfortably wait for the overhead paging system to let you know which nurse is ready to help you.
Average time from arrival at clinic to dosing is 3 minutes or less. Times are typically shorter than 3 minutes but if you happen to log in after a high phased patient (someone who gets take homes and achieved sobriety) it may take a few more minutes.
Check in for counseling is easy. Present at the front desk 10 minutes before your appointment and staff will notify your personal counselor of your arrival and escort you back for your private session.
The Engage application for your smart phone is instrumental in efficient check-in and treatment. When you arrive to the facility you may check in from your vehicle into the dosing que (digital dosing line present on the large TV's in each facility).
What are the benefits:
1) Efficient Check in process (Check in from your phone)
2) Enhanced safety and convenience (you can check in from your car. Please park and be ready to come in. Our nurses are quick.)
3) Improved dosing times (Under 3 minutes on average.)
4) Improved quality of treatment (Your time is valuable. ASAP prides itself in getting you the care you need and deserve as efficiently
as possible.)
Efficient check from your vehicle with the ability to see your place in the dosing que (treatment line). With the COVID pandemic patient and staff safety is priority one. For everyone's safety we currently limit patient to a max of 10 within the medical clinic. This allows for safe social distancing and quick service. Your phone will show your place in line and when you are in the top 7, come in for treatment. If the system does not allow you to check in this indicates you are due to provide a urine or have some other issue to take care of. The 3 remaining will be filled by those individuals having additional things to address outside of dosing that morning. Come straight into the clinic and after the issues is addressed we will check you into the que and get you on your way. Why wait outside in the rain and snow like other facilities. Wait in the comfort of your personal vehicle or transport van if there are more than 7 people at the clinic when you arrive.
With the decreased exposure in the facility by an efficient check in process we are decreasing your exposure to COVID-19.
Dosing wait times at other facilities have been reported to be as long as 1 hour in length. ASAP monitors dosing times on a weekly basis assuring that the average dosing time is under 3 minutes for the day. Depending on the time of day you may find a few additional minute wait (first and last half hour of dosing time. i.e. first thing in the morning as we open and just before we close). Your time is valuable and ASAP understands that if you have no other obligations for treatment that day that getting in and out is a benefit to starting and enjoying your day.
Improved quality of treatment is also noted with the use of the application as scheduled appointments are shown as well as the ability to interact with your counselor with scheduled appointments.
If you have no other services (counseling) or needs (urine drug screen, UDS) the average time from arrival at clinic to dosing is 3 minutes or less. Times are typically less than 3 minutes but if you happen to log in after a high phased patient (someone who gets take homes and achieved sobriety) or someone that requires special attention that day it may take a few more minutes. ASAP takes great pride in the low wait times as your time is as valuable as our own. However, providing the exceptional care patients have come to expect and receive from ASAP is always priority one. ASAP does not rush in the care provided at any of its facilities.
That's easy. Present to the clinic with a partially full bladder daily. Random drug screens are a staple to any addiction treatment facility. This helps in many ways. It can provide useful information to the patient as they may be surprised of other drugs being mixed in with the one drug they were seeking to use. It helps validate your move towards sobriety. It confirms maintenance of sobriety and supports earning and maintaining phases (ability with sobriety to get take home medication doses) that are granted through the 8 - point criteria and the state guidelines related to this.
Patients may choose to stop treatment at any time. You may discontinue immediately but we would recommend a directed taper. If you decide to do so you will meet with one of our Board Certified Addiction Specialist to create a plan for discharge based on your desired timeline. You may meet with one of our physicians to begin an elective taper whenever you desire.
The 8 point criteria have been established by SAMHSA (Federal regulatory body for MAT facilities) as the means to identify and justify take home privilege's in patients receiving treatment at a medication assisted treatment program. The 8 point criteria are as follows:
- Absence of recent abuse of drugs (opioid or nonnarcotic), including alcohol
- Regularity of clinic attendance
- Absence of serious behavioral problems at the clinic
- Absence of known recent criminal activity, e.g., drug dealing
- Stability of the patient’s home environment and social relationships
- Length of time in comprehensive maintenance treatment
- Assurance that take-home medication can be safely stored within the patient’s home
- Whether the rehabilitative benefit the patient derived from decreasing the frequency of clinic attendance outweighs the potential risks of diversion
Phasing is the classification by the State using 8 point criteria to allow take home doses in patients who have gained sobriety with treatment. Phasing is broken down as follows:
Phase 1 no Sunday take home (New admissions, patients not meeting 8 point criteria.)
Phase 1 with Sunday take home (Patients who gain sobriety for 30 consecutive days and maintain it.)
Phase 2 (patients achieving criteria for Phase 1 with Sunday for 90 days after getting Phase 1)
Phase 3 (patients achieving criteria for Phase 1 with Sunday for 90 days after getting Phase 2)
Phase 4 (patients achieving criteria for Phase 1 with Sunday for 90 days after getting Phase 3)
Phase 5 (patients achieving criteria for Phase 1 with Sunday for 90 days after getting Phase 4)
Phase 6 (patients achieving criteria for Phase 1 with Sunday for 365 days after getting Phase 5)
ASAP offers varies ways to engage in treatment.
1. The old fashion way, face to face. We have designated offices to accomplish this. These offices posses plexiglass shields providing a nonobtrusive barrier for client and counselor safety. Social distancing is also present with a minimum of a 6 foot distance between people.
2. Telephone counseling is also available and for those with time restraints can be accomplished from any private location patients wish to use.
3. Video conferencing from you phone, ipad (or equivalent) and computer can be accomplished from any private location patients wish to use.
Madison Clinic
Counseling time availability:
- 5am to 1pm Monday through Friday. (Later counseling times to 3pm will become available as we expand our hours)
Medication dosing availability:
- Monday through Friday - 5am to 3pm. Patients should be checked in by 2:30pm
- Saturday and Sunday - 6am to 9am
West Allis
Counseling time availability:
- 5am to 1pm Monday through Friday
Medication dosing availability:
- Monday through Friday - 5am - 11:30am. Patients should be checked in by 11:00am
- Saturday and Sunday - 6am to 9am
No, if you are seeking treatment for opioid or opiate (Heroin, Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycontin, Morphine, Fentanyl, Codeine) addiction you already have addiction to this type of drug. Your addiction can not get worse with Methadone or Buprenorphine. These 2 medications are used in treatment because of the propensity to develop tolerance (you don't get high) very quickly. Thus, they keep you out of withdrawal and allow you to break the cycle throughout the day of feeling high and then going into withdrawal several hours later without continued use of Heroin etc.
Methadone and Buprenorphine are opioids used to treat withdrawal symptoms and allow the brain to recover from addiction when used in an addiction facility. If used inappropriately for extended periods of time outside of addiction treatment, a person can become addicted to them like any other opiate (Morphine, Heroin) or opioid (Oxycontin, Percocet). However, they are very rarely used on the street as a drug of choice, but rather a drug to prevent withdrawal. With prolonged exposure to any opioid or opiate from prescription or illicit use, neuroplasticity (physical changes to your brain at the neuron or cellular level including pathways) occurs and the brain physically changes leading to true addiction with both physiological and psychological components. Use of these medications in treatment does not worsen the nature of addiction. It does allow individuals with addiction to engage in treatment, affording time for the brain to recover and for the patient to engage in counseling assuring long term success with sobriety.
Vivitrol is an opiate antagonist and blocks opiate receptors, thus it is not addictive. It does help with cravings and used to help maintain recovery and sobriety.
Yes, they can, but the medical care at ASAP is provided by a physician who will determine how the medicines can be taken appropriately so that drug interactions are minimized and or eliminated.
Neither Methadone, Buprenorphine or Vivitrol will show up positive on a standard drug screen commonly used. There are more specialized drug tests that specifically can detect these medications.
During your admission consultation with an addiction board certified ASAP physician that includes a complete medical history and physical exam you will discuss options appropriate for your care. The best medication to assist in a patient’s recovery will be recommended and a collaborative approach with patient and physician will determine which one to begin. Meaning you decide together.
Absolutely, data shows that opioid withdrawal, in pregnant patients, can cause uterine contractions and result in premature labor. This can ultimately lead to miscarriage or premature birth. Because of the risks resulting from opioid withdrawal, opioid dependent pregnant women are generally recommended to enter a methadone maintenance program. ASAP will prioritize pregnant women’s placement in the admission schedule so that they can enter treatment more quickly and, thereby, decrease risk of harm to the unborn fetus.
NO. Your baby will not become addicted. There is a huge difference between addiction and dependence. Addiction occurs with chronic use and remolding of the brain. There is no evidence to show that brain changes occur in children born to opioid using mothers. What does occur is dependence. The child will experience withdrawal symptoms with the absence of the opioid but will not develop addiction to it. Most hospitals are now equipped to handle this form of delivery and keep the child comfortable will the dependence wares off.