Milford-based Bridges Healthcare recently launched Connecticut’s first Mobile Addiction Treatment Team for opioid addiction. The mobile unit, called M.A.T.T.’s Van, helps individuals who are in withdrawal from opioids or otherwise ready to start treatment.
People who visit the van can receive a prescription for the medication Suboxone to counter opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms. They will also have access to a peer counselor, a Narcan overdose reversal kit, referral to a treatment center like Bridges, and transportation to a pharmacy to fill the prescription if needed.
“Our goal is to save lives and provide faster, easier access to treatment in our towns and neighborhoods,” said John Dixon, Bridges CEO and president. “We know that medication assisted treatment is the most effective tool we have right now to battle opioid addiction. Taking the first step to treatment is extremely difficult. We hope this mobile service will make that step a little bit easier for many who are suffering and at risk of overdose and death today.”
The service is free, does not require proof of insurance and no appointment is necessary. However, individuals must be over 18 to use it. Since M.A.T.T.’s Van launched in early April, eight individuals have started on medication assisted treatment with Suboxone.
Bridges Medical Director Tara Kerner on location at the Beth-El Center in Milford with M.A.T.T.’s Van, which offers mobile addiction treatment services. Photo courtesy of Bridges Healthcare.
“That’s eight lives potentially saved from death by overdose; eight people who have a chance at recovery,” said Dr. Tara Kerner, medical director at Bridges. “The people we have seen so far on the van have been from different areas in Connecticut, different backgrounds, different ages, but the same story. They have all experienced addiction, not just to opiates, but to alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, benzodiazepines. They all know the tug-of-war this illness creates with their addiction pulling them in one direction to keep using and their desire to get better pulling them in the other direction. We know those moments of making the decision to seek treatment are critical, which is why M.A.T.T.’s Van is on the street and offering treatment with as few barriers to access to medication as possible. We want to be ready to help people at the moment they are ready to win that tug-of-war.”
M.A.T.T.’s Van will be parked at the Beth-El Center in Milford every Monday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Main Street near the West Haven City Hall/West Haven Green every Tuesday and Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It will be staffed by a physician and a peer recovery support counselor. No medication will be carried in the vehicle or by staff.
Bridges also offers medication assisted treatment at its main clinic in Milford by appointment. Funding for the services is from a grant from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services. Visit www.bridgesct.org for more information.