This year’s National Recovery Month theme is recovery is for all. While there are still several barriers to treatment access for those battling addiction, one of the most prevalent might just be the inability to access help precisely when an individual is ready to pursue recovery – a window of willingness that can be fleeting. To eliminate any roadblocks to entering treatment, it is important for treatment providers to increase access to on-demand medication and mental health support right when clients need it, eliminating oftentimes week-long waiting periods.
Earlier this year, Spectrum opened its second rapid access treatment program in Framingham, Mass. This program, formed in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, is a “hub and spoke” model of care for those struggling with addiction. Our two locations operate as a hub – a walk-in center with same-day access to medication for opioid use disorders (MOUD) – and the spokes are community-based opiate treatment programs, including but not limited to Spectrum’s thirteen other outpatient treatment centers located across the state.
Three to five days a week, these two hubs perform intake assessments, offering low-threshold, immediate treatment initiation, insurance navigation, and transportation, as needed. Following initiation, clients are provided individualized treatment plans based on their needs and started on the most appropriate medication. Our Worcester location offers rapid access for buprenorphine and naltrexone, while the Framingham location offers both of those as well as methadone. Once stabilized, clients are referred to another treatment center for ongoing services closer to home.
Through these locations, Spectrum works closely with the hospitals in the area which evaluate and inform clients of direct admission options. Spectrum’s recovery support navigators provide an extra level of support and care, welcoming clients, providing transportation from the hospital to one of our locations or to another recovery center in the area, helping connect clients with a primary care provider, and more. Our staff is available to help clients with financial and housing services, school, and employment, knowing that these everyday challenges can often exacerbate an addiction or make it harder for a person to seek and/or maintain recovery.
Breaking down barriers to addiction treatment is a core part of Spectrum’s mission. Once treatment providers make access to care easier, we will be one step closer to ensuring that addiction recovery is available to everyone – every person, every family, and every community.
Visit our website to learn more, or call (508) 875-5801 (Framingham) or (774) 314-4761 (Worcester) for more information on rapid access to medication for opioid use disorder, including our current same-day admission and walk-in access hours.
If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction or a substance use disorder, call Spectrum Health Systems today at 1-877-MyRehab.
