PROVIDENCE – In response to a surge in overdoses over Thanksgiving week, CODAC Behavioral Healthcare is bringing its University of Rhode Island Rhode to Health Mobile Medical Clinic into high-risk areas of the city.
The move is meant to address growing substance use disorder, the need for crisis stabilization and other health issues.
Building a Strong Data Foundation in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a key priority in the boardroom and across management —…
Learn More
More than 18 overdoses were reported in Providence during the last week of November, although the actual number could be higher, said Mary Walton, CODAC’s assistant medical director.
“These figures place a heightened emphasis on what our partners confirm in the community,” she said.
Movement of the mobile unit into Providence is also meant to address the need for medical care.
“Recently we learned that many Providence residents with or at highest risk for HIV and hepatitis C are not engaging in care, and we are actively working to notify the community that we will be in designated areas through March to help them receive essential health services,” said Linda Hurley, CEO and president of CODAC.
In Providence, the mobile unit’s location was determined by data supplied by the R.I. Department of Health that pinpointed areas in the city with the highest rates of fatal and nonfatal overdoses.
During the mobile clinic’s first day in Providence, a patient was diagnosed with hepatitis C and two others received prescriptions for buprenorphine.
Outreach workers from Project Weber/RENEW, a nonprofit that provides recovery services for residents of Providence and Pawtucket, are involved in the effort.
“Project Weber/RENEW knows where vulnerable individuals are, and they were instrumental in bringing people in need of care to the van,” Walton said.
Mobile unit locations:
- Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Kenwood and Waverly streets, Providence.
- Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to noon, Woonsocket Motor Inn, 333 Clinton St.
- Tuesday, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., Dexter Street and Andrew D. Ferland Way, Pawtucket.
- Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Potter’s Avenue and Puritan Street, Providence.
