Medical Street Teams Help Breech The Barriers To Getting Treatment For Homeless People Addicted To Opioids
Instead of trying to get people to conform to an appointment-based treatment plan, doctors and other health professionals go to them.
The California Health Report:
San Francisco Takes Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder To The Streets
San Francisco’s street medicine team brings doctors and other health professionals directly to people living on the streets to hear their stories and earn their trust. They provide as many services as the person will accept, from housing and food to medication and medical treatment, including addiction treatment. Recently the city announced a $6 million investment to expand a yearlong pilot program that connected close to 100 people who are homeless and dealing with heroin and opioid addiction with ‘low barrier” access to buprenorphine, a drug that is often very effective as a treatment for opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine (brand names Subutex or Suboxone) is a daily pill, or strip that dissolves in the mouth, that reduces the cravings for opioids and the intense physical pain of withdrawal. (Kritz, 6/28)
In other news from across the state —
Capital Public Radio:
Mobile Health Services Help Sacramento’s Homeless Women
It’s a mobile clinic run by Elica Health Centers, a Sacramento nonprofit that brings health services to homeless people. This population often has trouble getting medical care, because they can’t find transportation, or don’t want to be separated from their pets. (Caiola, 6/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Cheap Cannabis Products Available Before New California Rules Kick In
A bonanza of cheap marijuana is flooding the market this week as growers, manufacturers and retailers unload excess cannabis in preparation for the enforcement of strict testing and packaging regulations that are sure to further shake up California’s budding industry. The regulations took effect Jan. 1, but the state suspended enforcement during the first six months to give the industry time to prepare. (Fimrite, 6/27)