In-Person Addiction Medicine for Ferguson
Addictionology Center treats Ferguson and north county patients face to face for opioid, alcohol and drug addiction, with buprenorphine/naloxone for opioid use disorder. The clinic is a short trip west on Airport Road or I-170 to Woodson Rd.
North County has been hit hard by fentanyl overdoses, and office-based treatment is still scarce. We take new patients by scheduled appointment. Medicine starts once you have been examined.
Office-based treatment is still scarce across north county, even as fentanyl has raised the stakes. New patients are seen by scheduled appointment here. Medicine starts once you have been examined — not after a string of early visits.
Go west on Airport Road or I-170 to the Woodson Rd exit. It is a short trip from anywhere in Ferguson. The clinic is at 4477 Woodson Rd, Suite 101, St. Louis, MO 63134, next to St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
Treatment for Ferguson patients
Delivered face to face at the Woodson Rd clinic:
Opioid Addiction Treatment
Buprenorphine/naloxone in person, and we see you as soon as we can. What this involves.
Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Alcohol use disorder managed as a medical condition. What this involves.
Drug Addiction Treatment
Drug use and use of more than one drug, treated along with what drives it. What this involves.
Why do so many people with opioid addiction go untreated?
The steady finding in this field is that most people with opioid use disorder never get the medicine that treats it. The reasons studied most are not about willpower. They are how many prescribers there are, how far away they are, and whether appointments exist. They are whether insurance is taken, and whether the clinic feels like a place you will be treated decently.
That last one is not a soft factor. People who expect to be judged do not come back after a first visit. A treatment nobody returns to works zero percent of the time, no matter what the trials show.
It is worth saying plainly what this clinic is. It is an office-based practice where you are examined, given a prescription and seen again. Not a waiting line. Not an assessment that leads to another assessment.
What federal privacy protection actually covers
Substance use disorder treatment records carry protections beyond the rules for the rest of your medical care. Sharing them usually takes your specific written consent, naming who gets the information and why. A general release signed at a front desk does not cover these records.
In practice, your employer does not learn you are in treatment because a record moved between offices. Neither does a family member who calls to ask.
It is just as important to be clear about the limits. A promise with hidden exceptions is worse than an honest boundary. We will tell you exactly what can and cannot be shared in your case. What leaves this office is your decision. The privacy policy and consent documents lay it out.
Naloxone belongs in the house whatever else is happening
This applies whether or not you are in treatment, and whether or not you plan to keep using. Naloxone reverses an opioid overdose. You can get it without a prescription in Missouri. It does nothing at all to someone who has not taken opioids — so there is no case where having it causes harm.
The people who most need one in the house often feel least entitled to ask for it. Get past that. With naloxone on hand, people survive overdoses. Without it, they often do not.
Risk is also highest at certain moments. These are after any stretch of reduced use, after release from jail, after a hospital stay, and any time the supply changes. Tolerance drops faster than people expect. A dose that was routine two weeks ago can be fatal today.
Treatment does not require you to have hit a bottom first
The idea that someone must lose enough before treatment can work is folk wisdom, not evidence. It has done a great deal of damage. Results are better, not worse, when treatment starts before someone loses their job, home and relationships.
That shapes how people show up here. Patients often apologize for not being in bad enough shape to deserve an appointment. Or they wait until a crisis makes the choice for them.
There is no bar to clear. If substance use is costing you something you would rather keep, that is reason enough for an appointment. Starting from a stable place makes the work much easier.
Does insurance pay for addiction treatment?
Cost is one of the real barriers that keeps people out of treatment. Raise it on the first call, not later. Tell us what coverage you have, or that you have none. We will tell you what is possible.
Medicine for opioid use disorder is covered by most plans, including Medicaid. Generic buprenorphine/naloxone costs little next to what ongoing use costs. Prior authorization is sometimes needed — and an authorization is a step in a process, not a promise of payment. That difference is worth knowing before you rely on it.
We raise cost early, so it never becomes the reason someone stops coming.
Frequently asked questions about addiction treatment in Ferguson
Are you taking new patients from Ferguson?
Yes. New patients are seen by scheduled appointment. Treatment starts once you have been examined in person.
Can I get naloxone here?
Yes, and we would rather you had it than not. In Missouri you can get it at pharmacies without a personal prescription. It is worth having in the house at any stage.
Does anything get reported to police or an employer?
No. Treatment records are protected, and sharing them takes your specific written consent. We will tell you plainly what the narrow legal exceptions are. We will not pretend there are none.
Does Medicaid cover buprenorphine/naloxone treatment?
In most cases, yes. Medicine for opioid use disorder is covered by most plans, including Medicaid. Generic buprenorphine/naloxone costs little next to what ongoing use costs. Some plans ask for prior authorization first. An approval is a step in the process, not a promise of payment. Tell us what coverage you have, or that you have none, when you call.
Do I have to hit rock bottom before treatment will work?
No. The idea that you must lose enough first is folk wisdom, not evidence. Results are better when treatment starts before someone loses a job, a home or relationships. If substance use is costing you something you would rather keep, that is reason enough for an appointment. Starting from a stable place makes the work easier.
Getting here from Ferguson
Addictionology Center
4477 Woodson Rd, Suite 101
St. Louis, MO 63134
Next to St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
Phone: +1 (314) 463-0100
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM