Progress amid the opioid epidemic: New Fall River fire station program seeing results

Police officers paired with substance abuse counselors go onto Brattleboro's streets to offer no-strings-attached help to people using drugs. Without using arrests or other coercion, the Project CARE "recovery coaches" have connected dozens of people to rehab and other needed services since the program began in July 2018. Modeled on bigger, successful programs in Gloucester and Brockton, Massachusetts, CARE's effect on overdoses is unknown and the involvement of police is seen by some as a drawback. But the outreach has let the community know help is available for the asking – even from cops.

The coronavirus pandemic has largely led to the expansion and adoption of telemedicine, which has helped those seeking treatment for addictions more easily access care. Although advocates of medication-assisted treatment have been working to eliminate barriers to virtual care for years, the pandemic has accelerated these efforts and the outcome has been successful. According to the associate executive director of Prevention Point Philadelphia, “It’s a reduction of the hassle, wait times, anxiety and fear of withdrawal in a waiting room."

When treating opioid addiction, the typical approach is medication in conjunction with mandatory therapy sessions and a myriad of other check-ins. Realizing that this method was failing many people that were not able to make these sessions, some clinics are reversing the approach by focusing on a medication-first approach.

A significant spike in opioid-related overdose deaths in Philadelphia has resulted in more people in the community carrying Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medication. Thanks to a standing order signed by the Pennsylvania physician general as well as a local health insurance company, obtaining the drug has been made much easier which in turn results in more lives potentially being saved.

More lives are being touched by sorrow as the opioid crisis continues to escalate. For mothers of addicts, recovered addicts, and addicts themselves, programs like Pathways to Housing and Prevention Point are bringing together this community in a effort to heal.

Students at Arlington Public Schools are being trained to carry and administer Narcan to help reduce the rising number of opioid overdose deaths, specifically among young people. Programs like this and access to treatment like Suboxone help make it easier for youth to find recovery and prevent drug overdoses.

In Glasglow, a former outreach workers has launched a mobile harm reduction facility to help those who are living with addiction have a safe space to use drugs. Although the idea is controversial and "political," users of the van say that if it weren't for it, they would be risking overdoses or illnesses from using dirty needles.

Although COVID-19 has taken a toll on the healthcare industry, some providers and clinics have figured out a way to eliminate barriers during this time for those seeking treatment. According to the director of the Behavioral Health Institute at Harborview Medical Center in Washington, the healthcare industry has seen "at least five years worth of progress happen in four months" due to the implementation of telemedicine. While this isn't a longterm replacement for in-person visits, many doctors are reporting a rise in patient appointments via this system.

Millions of Americans are addicted to and hundreds of thousands have died from opioids, but learning what hasn't worked in treating the epidemic is providing a path forward to creating solutions that do have impact. From making medication-assisted treatment more accessible and less stigmatized to expanding Medicaid coverage and implementing harm reduction strategies, states across the U.S. are piloting new initiatives based off the knowledge gained from assessing the limitations of previous approaches.

Opioid addiction has increased throughout the United States. A clinic in San Francisco has been offering an opioid replacement drug called buphrenorphine to help wean addicts away from opioids. The clinic’s success at healing addicts has served as a model for clinics in other cities around the country.