Treatment in Motion: Community-Based Rapid-Access Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Grantee: Evergreen Treatment Services
Timeframe: July 2022 – June 2024 | Amount: $382,450

Year 1: July 2022 – June 2023. Amount: $190,000
Year2: July 2023 – June 2024. Amount: $192,450

To address the alarming rise in opioid use disorder, opioid-related overdoses, and the community impact of opioid use, and to reduce disparities in accessing lifesaving treatment, ETS is launching the Treatment in Motion (TIM) project. TIM will provide community-based, low-barrier, rapid-access MOUD treatment for persons in King County who are actively using opioids, and who are experiencing homelessness, are members of communities of color, identify as LGBTQ+, are involved in the criminal justice system, and/or who are living in other underserved communities with limited access to MOUD. TIM will build upon the strengths of Evergreen Treatment Services’ two divisions, combining decades of clinical experience through ETS’ fixed clinic locations with the community knowledge and access of the organization’s REACH outreach program.

TIM is built upon an asset-based approach to community service provision, with a focus on leveraging community knowledge, utilizing established community connections, and enhancing community resources. Integral to this approach is a belief in the power of organizations working together to do what they do best. Project staff will work to build relationships with established service providers with a deep knowledge of the community, service gaps, and the needs of the patient population. These partnerships will help determine where best to use TIM resources to impact the needs of the community.

As described below in more detail below, TIM will bring mobile resources to parts of Seattle and south King County where there are gaps in services and populations in need. These mobile resources include a mobile dispensary van where methadone will be dispensed; and a mobile medical van where buprenorphine (Suboxone) will be prescribed, and where medical treatment, counseling, and nurse consultation can be provided. Program staff will include medical providers, nurses, substance use disorder counselors, case managers, and safety personnel. The program also has an outreach component and will build upon partnerships with trusted organizations serving the targeted communities.

TIM will enable ETS to take OUD treatment services out of fixed clinic locations to places more easily reached by those who need them. These sites may include food banks, libraries, community centers, health centers, homeless encampments, needle exchanges, and other locations that people experiencing homelessness access frequently. The program will visit multiple sites per day, building to six days per week, and will return to those sites on a weekly basis to continue to engage new patients and provide continuity of care for established patients. In addition, we anticipate the program will also provide services to the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) jail in Des Moines.