St. Mary Medical Center is partnering with Positive Recovery Solutions to bring mobile drug relapse prevention services to the community. These services are critical as Pennsylvania ranked fourth in the nation with the highest rates of death due to drug overdose in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moreover, Bucks County was declared a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, meaning federal resources are available to address significant drug trafficking in the county.
Resources now available through the partnership include prevention services such as Vivitrol, a prescription used to treat alcohol and opioid dependence, as well as wrap-around services for patients. Assistance accessing other support services, reviewing medical forms and scheduling ongoing counseling are also part of the package.
In order to make these services mobile, PRS uses a motorhome which has been reoutfitted as a health clinic. This vehicle can park anywhere and deliver care as needed, eliminating transportation barriers and increasing access to treatment. PRS began offering these mobile services in 2015 and now services approximately 700 patients each month. Patients are prescribed Vivitrol one time per month and must maintain counseling while on this therapy.
St. Mary, a member of Trinity Health, received a grant from Trinity’s Preserving our Legacy Fund, which supports projects that focus on the poor and underserved, to purchase and modify the motorhome. The fund supports programs and initiatives designed to address health inequities and demonstrate measurable improvement to social determinants of health.
Mobile relapse prevention services are available now. For more information, call Positive Recovery Solutions at 412-660-7064 or visit posrecoverysolutions.com
