Increasing access to life-saving services and support for substance use disorder
Many Arizonans struggling with opioid and substance use disorder may want help but hesitate to see a doctor. Others may not know where to go, or live in rural areas that have limited resources.
Solari Crisis & Human Services*, Community Medical Services (CMS), and Mobilize AZ joined forces to address these concerns with a free medication assisted treatment (MAT) mobile clinic that traveled across the state, expanding access and creating connections to care.
Year 1: 69 clinics across all 15 Arizona counties
In the first year of grant funding (April 2019 – March 2020), the mobile MAT clinic visited all 15 counties in Arizona and provided 69 clinics. Community navigators staffing the mobile clinic offered assistance ranging from creating a care plan, making a warm transfer to a local provider for MAT, and screening for Hepatitis C or HIV/AIDS—followed by confirmatory testing and/or immediate access to treatment for those testing positive. Clinics also provided naloxone, which reportedly resulted in successful overdose reversals.
Year 2: Targeted focus on underserved communities builds trust and support
In the second grant year (September 2020 – August 2021), as the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant increases in overdose rates, the mobile MAT clinic expanded its services to address substance misuse as well as food insecurity and harm reduction.
Fifty-five clinics continued all first-year services, plus provided access to on-site integrated healthcare services, personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing and vaccine coordination, and the overdose-reversing naloxone. Repeat visits in the underserved communities of Guadalupe, Kingman, Douglas, and the Human Services Campus created a bigger presence — which grew stronger relationships with key stakeholders and trust among those who needed clinic services.
Turning the tide against opioid and substance use disorder
In just two years, the mobile MAT clinic offered greater access to lifesaving services and inspired hope for 3,550 people throughout Arizona. The project was also instrumental in engaging local providers and facilitating new referral sources in each community, many of which continue to offer mobile clinics. CMS has since expanded its effort to address Hepatitis C, and the Center for the Future of Arizona has created a toolkit and built a coalition to share mobile clinic best practices from Douglas, Arizona.
* Formerly Crisis Response Network and its subsidiary, Centerpoint for Hope
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