Breakout Session: Beyond Brick and Mortar: On the Road with Mobile Methadone

Led By: Jeff Baxter, MD (Chief Medical Officer, Spectrum Health Systems, Inc., Worcester, MA.) 

Ryan Walker (Assistant Director of Licensing, Quality Assurance and Licensing, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services) 

Heidi DiRoberto, LMHC (Regional Executive Director, Spectrum Health Systems, Inc., Worcester, MA.) 

Tania Diduca (Chief of Staff, South Middlesex Opportunity Council) 

Summary: For decades methadone treatment has been limited almost exclusively to free-standing OTP sites, creating barriers to treatment access such as travel distance and transportation.  Methadone delivered through mobile units has been utilized to expand access and reach populations facing these barriers.   In this workshop we will discuss our experience in the last few years launching mobile methadone services in Worcester, MA.  

Topics will include manufacturing, funding and licensing of the mobile unit, working with community partners to identify populations in need and locations where the unit can operate, and managing treatment services ‘on-the-go’, such as medical evaluations for admission, medication dispensing, behavioral treatment and social services.   Participants will be asked to brainstorm potential applications of this model in their own home communities, listing populations that could benefit and community partners that might be willing to collaborate.