ASAM Level 2.1

EMS of Virginia provides Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Services for adults via Telehealth (online). Our Certified Substance Abuse Counselors (CSACs) and Licensed or Licensed-Eligible Team Members provide strengths-based IOP groups to those who qualify through the ASAM level of care assessment. Groups last for 3 hours and are held 3 times per week, for a total of 9 hours of treatment each week. We also offer linkage with an initial psychiatric assessment and weekly drug screenings, when deemed clinically necessary.

The Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is a level of treatment for substance use disorders on the continuum of care between outpatient treatment (OP) and higher levels of care, which include residential in-patient treatment and all-day partial hospitalization (PHP). EMS of Virginia’s online program is as effective as treatment provided in a traditional setting, but has the advantages of privacy and convenience which in-person programs cannot provide. It also eliminates the barriers presented with needing to get to an office setting such as transportation, scheduling, and balancing the healthy lifestyle you are trying to create in your recovery journey.

During the program, participants will learn about the cycle of addiction and stages of change, develop recovery and relapse prevention plans, discuss triggers, cravings, and coping strategies, as well as dive into holistic wellness discussions to reduce overall stress, anxiety, and mental health struggles that play a role in substance use. Through the group model, participants develop a support system and connect with other resources for long-term sobriety. 

Admission is advisable for IOP if specifications are met in dimension 2 (if any conditions exist) and dimension 3 (if any conditions exist), as well as at least one of dimensions 4, 5 or 6:

• DIMENSION 1: Patient has no signs or symptoms of withdrawal, or withdrawal needs can be safely managed.
• DIMENSION 2: Biomedical problems are stable or are being addressed concurrently and will not interfere with treatment.
• DIMENSION 3: If emotional, behavioral, or cognitive conditions are present, patient must be admitted to either a co-occurring capable or co-occurring enhanced program if one exists or an appropriate referral to a separate program to address these conditions concurrently.
• DIMENSION 4:
  • Patient requires structured therapy and a programmatic milieu to promote treatment progress and recovery because motivational interventions at another level of care have failed; OR
  • Patient’s perspective inhibits his or her ability to make behavioral changes without repeated, structured, clinically directed motivational interventions.
• DIMENSION 5:
  • Patient is experiencing an intensification of symptoms of the substance-related disorder despite participation in a less intensive level of treatment; OR
  • There is a high likelihood that the patient will continue to use or relapse to use without close outpatient monitoring and structured therapeutic services.
• DIMENSION 6:
  • Patient’s continued exposure to current school, work, or living environment will render recovery unlikely; OR
  • Patient lacks skills, social contacts, has unsupportive social contacts that jeopardize recovery.

If you are interested in this service, please fill out our referral form, or call us at 804-332-5696 to speak with someone directly. Feel free to email us at info@emsofvirginia.com with any questions. 

IOP Services are covered by all Medicaid plans. We are currently accepting clients with Aetna, Magellan (KePro), Magellan CCC+ / Molina, Virginia Premier, and Optima Medicaid. We also accept private pay and CSA funding through FAPT.

For Community Partners

EMS of Virginia has been serving the greater Richmond, Virginia, area since 2005. During this time, we have established many community relationships that we truly value. We offer a high level of quality assurance and take pride in our desire to collaborate with you. Some partnering agencies include homeless prevention and re-entry councils, hospitals, community stabilization programs, as well as other service providers of mental health and substance abuse services. 

EMS’s SA-IOP was developed with the vision to provide community support and intervention rather than psychiatric hospitalization or inpatient substance abuse treatment, so that the individual can work on functional and adaptive ways through recovery. As we work through the presenting substance abuse concerns, we will work with individuals on a plan to link with longer term services that will enhance stability and wellness.

If you are interested in this service, please fill out our referral form, or call us at (804) 332-5696 to speak with someone directly. Feel free to also email us at info@emsofvirginia.com with any questions.