How to Find Detox in Washington

According to the CDC, Washington State lost 1,259 lives to drug overdose in 2019.[1] For people who struggle with addiction, a way out sometimes feels impossible, but recovery is always possible.

Even if treatment in an American Addiction Centers facility isn’t possible for you, it’s important to us that you find treatment. On this page, we will cover how anyone who struggles with addiction in Washington can find help. We will talk about the types of treatment available, what the payment options are and how to pay for it under any circumstance, and what kinds of accreditation to look for.

Types of Addiction Treatment in Washington

Substance abuse treatment can be divided into three basic categories: outpatient, inpatient/residential, and hospital inpatient.

The purpose of hospital inpatient facilities, also called medical detox centers, is generally to offer medical detox and medical treatment for drug abuse. Specifically, they treat the symptoms of withdrawal.

According to the World Health Organization, alcohol withdrawals include sweating, anxiety, shakes, agitation, depression, nausea, malaise, and it can include seizures and delirium.[2] Opioid withdrawals include a runny nose, watery eyes, achy muscles, chills, and muscle and abdominal cramps.[2]

Withdrawals can be medically serious and sometimes even fatal, and they always make the process of substance avoidance uncomfortable and difficult. Medical detox facilities treat these symptoms to ease the process.

Following detox, heavy addiction sufferers will usually benefit best from a residential facility, also called a non-hospital inpatient facility. Residential facilities are temporary live-in facilities that keep patients isolated from enablers and access to drugs during treatment. They offer intensive care.

Ideally, outpatient facilities focus on helping a patient reintegrate into society by teaching them coping mechanisms for avoiding and confronting the triggers that make them use. Outpatient facilities all share in common that the patient doesn’t live in the facility, but programs can vary all the way from weekly therapy to eight or 12-hour days every day of the week, depending on the type of program.

Here is how the different types of programs in Washington are categorized:

Type of Care, by number and percent
	Facilities
	No.	%
Outpatient	393	88.31%
Regular	390	87.64%
Intensive	337	75.73%
Day Treatment/Partial Hospitalization	34	7.64%
Detoxification	26	5.84%
Methadone/buprenorphine maintenance or naltrexone treatment	96	21.57%
Residential (non-hospital)	71	15.96%
Short Term	55	12.36%
Long Term	37	8.31%
Detoxification	28	6.29%
Hospital Inpatient	14	3.15%
Treatment	11	2.47%
Detoxification	14	3.15%
Total	445	100.00%

As you can see, categorization isn’t clear-cut. There are 26 outpatient and 28 residential facilities that offer detox, so it isn’t strictly necessary to get admitted into one of the 14 hospital inpatient facilities to receive detox care.[3]

Paying for Rehab in Washington

For an idea of drug treatment costs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a year of methadone treatment is $4,700.[4] While not everybody who struggles with addiction is financially struggling, it’s certainly common, so how do patients who are struggling find treatment?

Thankfully, all health insurance companies are currently required to cover treatment for substance use disorder, and they are not allowed to reject you for coverage by naming it as a preexisting condition.[5] Most facilities in Washington, 81.1 percent, will accept private insurance.[3]

Of course, not everybody has health insurance. In Washington, 6.6 percent of the population is uninsured.[6] If you can’t afford health insurance, you most likely qualify for Apple Health (Washington Medicaid), which you can apply for here.[7] Most facilities in Washington, 70.1 percent, accept Apple Health.[3]

If you can’t get health insurance of any kind, there are still options, and we will cover these in the section on payment options. Treatment costs can vary wildly depending on the type of facility, as well as the amenities they offer. As we’ll discuss in the next section, they also vary depending on whether they are state-funded or privately run.

State-Funded Rehab & Private Rehab in Washington

When it comes to how they are funded, there are two broad categories of addiction treatment facilities: state-funded and privately-funded. State-funded facilities are funded through taxes and for that reason they are generally free of cost. Privately-funded facilities are funded by donations and by their patients, who as we discussed above, usually pay with private insurance, or sometimes through Washington Apple Health.

Because state-funded facilities typically do not charge patients and are funded by taxes, they tend to be very utilitarian and less recreational than private facilities. The main reason most patients go to private facilities, however, is the simple fact that space in state facilities is limited. Admittance to Western State Hospital, for example, requires a referral from a Behavioral Health Organization, or a referral from civil court or the criminal justice system.[8]

Use this table to see how many facilities are private or state-funded, and which governments fund them:

Facility Operation, by number and percent
	Facilities
	No.	%
Private Non-Profit	210	47.19%
Private for Profit	173	38.88%
Local, county, or community government	25	5.62%
State government	3	0.67%
Federal Government	7	1.57%
Tribal Government	27	6.07%
Total	445	100.00%

Even if you don’t have health insurance or enough cash on hand to pay for treatment, and can’t gain admittance to a state facility, there are private facilities where you can find treatment without needing to worry about payment. We will discuss these payment options in a second, but first, if you do have insurance, you can check if it covers American Addiction Centers facilities.

Ways to Pay for Rehab in Washington

As we discussed above, 6.6 percent of Washingtonians don’t have health insurance.[6] Those who can’t afford it are likely eligible for Apple Health.[7] But if for some reason you can’t get any form of insurance, you still have options.

There are 263 facilities that accept sliding fee scale payments based on your income.[3] Eight facilities only take on free clients.[3] Another 180 facilities, making up 40.4 percent of the facilities in the state, offer free or minimal payment for clients who can’t afford treatment.[3]

Here are all of the payment options available in Washington and how many facilities offer each type:

Facility Licensing, Certification, or Accreditation, by number and percent
	No.	%
Any listed agency/organization	434	97.53%
State substance abuse agency	419	94.16%
State mental health department	180	40.45%
State department of health	331	74.38%
Hospital licensing authority	11	2.47%
The Joint Commission	61	13.71%
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)	80	17.98%
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)	6	1.35%
Council on Accreditation (COA)	9	2.02%
Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP)	1	0.22%
Other national organization or federal, state or local agency	6	1.35%
Total	445	100.00%

As you can see, no matter your financial situation, there is a way for you to find treatment.

Treatment Center Accreditations in Washington

For addiction treatment to be effective, it needs to be done by reputable providers.

Hospital inpatient treatment facilities should be licensed by the hospital licensing authority. Ideally, any facility should be treating addiction as a mental health issue, likely with comorbidities, and these should be licensed with the mental health department. All programs should be licensed by either the health department or the substance abuse agency.

Relevant non-government accreditations include The Joint Commission and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

This table breaks down the licensing and accreditation of facilities in Washington:

Facility Licensing, Certification, or Accreditation, by number and percent
	No.	%
Any listed agency/organization	434	97.53%
State substance abuse agency	419	94.16%
State mental health department	180	40.45%
State department of health	331	74.38%
Hospital licensing authority	11	2.47%
The Joint Commission	61	13.71%
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)	80	17.98%
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)	6	1.35%
Council on Accreditation (COA)	9	2.02%
Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP)	1	0.22%
Other national organization or federal, state or local agency	6	1.35%
Total	445	100.00%

As you can see, the vast majority of programs, 97.5 percent, have some form of relevant licensing, so there are plenty of options. Make sure that the licensing and accreditation are relevant for the type of treatment you are seeking.

Finding Rehab Treatment Near Washington

At American Addiction Centers, our goal is to help people find treatment. If you still have questions, that’s okay. We can help. Call our confidential helpline and speak to one of our team members. We can be reached at .

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