BOURNE – Those suffering from substance use disorders will soon have another service to assist them in Bourne and Sandwich.
The AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Community Health Center of Cape Cod and Duffy Health Center are launching a mobile clinic that will increase access to harm reduction services, including overdose prevention education and naloxone, also known as NARCAN.
The Community Harm Reduction and Treatment Team will provide telehealth appointments for prescribing medications for opioid use disorders, including for buprenorphine (Suboxone) that same day.
Transportation to a pharmacy to pick up the prescription will be provided by the team as well, if necessary.
Referrals will also be provided by the CHART Team, as well as connections to primary healthcare providers, recovery coaches, medication to prevent HIV such as PrEP and PEP, sexually transmitted infection testing, sexual, reproductive and behavioral health services, housing and insurance assistance.
“The goal of the CHART Team is to reduce opioid overdoses and deaths in the community by increasing access to important healthcare resources, providing recovery support services to help high-risk individuals engage and stay in substance use disorder treatment,” said Duffy Health Center in a statement.
According to the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, 10 fatal opioid-related overdoses were reported among Bourne and Sandwich Residents in 2019.
“As the opioid epidemic continues to have a devastating impact on the Cape, especially with the additional barriers to accessing treatment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing substance use services directly to individuals at high risk in the community is urgently needed,” said AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod CEO Dan Gates.
“Medications for opioid use disorder can be a vital, life-saving part of an individual’s recovery, and this program will increase access to this type of treatment.”
One of the goals of the CHART Team is to also reduce the stigma surrounding MOUD use.
Duffy Health Center said that the medication can help those recovering by lowering risk of relapse, lowering the risk of overdose death, and increase the time patients stay in treatment.
More information on the mobile clinic’s location and hours can be found here.
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