Hybrid Mobile Program Aims to Assist Opioid Use Disorder Patients

Known as the Eastern Shore Mobile Care Collaborative, a partnership between the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the county health department’s behavioral health program aims to provide rural opioid use disorder (OUD) patients with access to two mobile treatment centers equipped with telehealth tools.

Often, patients from rural areas lack sufficient access to healthcare. On top of this, OUD is on the rise. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that opioid-related deaths rose by 38 percent between 2019 and 2020.

To combat these ongoing issues, the two organizations joined forces to create the Eastern Shore Mobile Care Collaborative and launch the mobile units, which engage with about 150 clients monthly in Caroline County. After adding a second mobile unit, patients from Talbot County and part of Kent County will also gain access to care. The mobile units were launched under the oversight of Eric Weintraub, MD, professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM).

“I’m just really impressed by the quality of work they do and how they reach out and take care of patients,” said Weintraub in a press release. “Understanding that people with substance use disorders are really just trying to access help, they're people just like us, like everybody else. They have the same hopes and dreams, and they're just caught in the throes of a terrible disease that they can't always get out of. And we've been able to provide opportunities for these individuals to get evidence-based help.”

The organizations also emphasized the benefit these mobile treatment units provide by eliminating travel barriers. As patients may visit these facilities at various locations, transportation issues are mitigated.

In the units, counselors and medical professionals can meet with patients in person to discuss patient needs or connect them with clinicians at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, via telehealth tools.

“If you have a person who just walks up and knocks on [the] door and says they want help, that happens right then and there,” said Mobile Treatment Unit Program Administrator Roger McKnight in the press release. “Nine times out of 10 we will have [sic] them with a medication prescription, they will be able to see the doctor, see a counselor, we do an intake.” 

Prior efforts have indicated the efficacy of using telehealth to treat OUD.

In November 2022, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania created a program to provide OUD patients with telehealth options. Known as CareConnect, this resource aimed to increase access, ultimately leading to higher prescriptions of buprenorphine.

Between its launch in November 2021 and September 2022, 89 percent of program participants filled their first buprenorphine prescription. On top of this, CareConnect also helped to reduce barriers to care.

Similarly, telehealth interventions can assist patients in rural communities.

A study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine in June 2022 found that telehealth can effectively treat rural residents while increasing appointment completion rates.

Researchers drew this conclusion based on a retrospective cohort study that evaluated the correlation between visit completion and visit setting. According to the results of their analysis, telehealth can increase appointment completion rates in rural settings by about 20 percent.