Mobile opioid agonist treatment and public funding expands treatment for disenfranchised opioid-dependent individuals.
The New Jersey Medication Assisted Treatment Initiative (NJ-MATI) sought to reduce barriers to treatment by providing free, opioid agonist treatment (OAT, methadone or buprenorphine) via mobile medication units (MMUs). To evaluate barriers to OAT, logistic regression was used to compare opioid dependent patients enrolled in NJ-MATI to those entering treatment at fixed-site methadone clinics or non-medication assisted treatment (non-MAT). Client demographic and clinical data were taken from an administrative database for licensed treatment providers. The MMUs enrolled a greater proportion of African-American, homeless, and uninsured individuals than the fixed-site methadone clinics. Compared to non-MAT and traditional methadone clients, NJ-MATI patients were more likely to be injection drug users and daily users but less likely to have a recent history of treatment. These observations suggest that the patient-centered policies associated with NJ-MATI increased treatment participation by high severity, socially disenfranchised patients who were not likely to receive OAT.
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA.
Gerod
G
Hall
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA. Electronic address: cneighbors@casacolumbia.org.
Charles J
CJ
Neighbors
State of New Jersey - Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), 222S. Warren Street, 4th Floor, Trenton, NJ 08625, USA.
Jude
J
Iheoma
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA.
Sarah
S
Dauber
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence - New Jersey, 360 Corporate Boulevard, Robbinsville, NJ 08691, USA.
Merribeth
M
Adams
State of New Jersey - Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), 222S. Warren Street, 4th Floor, Trenton, NJ 08625, USA.
Robert
R
Culleton
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA.
Fred
F
Muench
State of New Jersey - Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), 222S. Warren Street, 4th Floor, Trenton, NJ 08625, USA.
Suzanne
S
Borys
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA.
Rebecca
R
McDonald
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA.
Jon
J
Morgenstern
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005380:Financing, Government; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008691:Methadone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D008952:Mobile Health Units / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009515:New Jersey; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D055815:Young Adult
D002047:Buprenorphine; D008691:Methadone
Access to health care; Methadone; Mobile health services