Wheeler has received a five-year, $3,750,000 award from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to expand access to addiction treatment and recovery supports for adults in New Britain and Waterbury.
The new initiative will serve adults with opioid use disorders (OUDs), expand mobile health services in New Britain and Waterbury, and support transition for individuals returning to those cities from correctional facilities. Wheeler expects to serve 200 unduplicated adults each year, 100 in each community, and 1,000 people during the five-year project period.
“Opioid use disorder is treatable, but treatment only works when people can get to it and stay connected to it,” said Sabrina Trocchi, PhD, MPA, President and Chief Executive Officer. “This funding allows us to bring together treatment, primary care, behavioral health, peer support, and community outreach around each individual, while creating stronger connections to care at moments when they may be at especially high risk. It reflects our commitment to meet people where they are and support recovery for the long term.”
Services will be provided through Wheeler’s outpatient federally qualified health centers in both cities, through community-based outreach in trusted locations using Wheeler’s existing mobile health centers, and with engagement for individuals before their release from correctional facilities to establish treatment connections and a continuity of care.
Wheeler’s integrated model of healthcare is particularly suited to the effort. Wheeler currently provides mobile healthcare weekly in Bristol, Hartford, and New Britain, and at all of its centers, addiction treatment is connected with primary care and behavioral health rather than provided in isolation, to most effectively address a patient’s overall health and wellness.
“Recovery is about much more than a prescription or a single appointment,” Trocchi added. “People may also need behavioral health care, medical care, help navigating services, someone with lived experience in their corner, or simply a trusted person who continues reaching out. This program gives us more capacity to put those pieces together around the person rather than asking the person to navigate them alone.”
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This project is supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H79TI089487. The first-year project budget of $750,000 is funded 100% by federal funds, with $0 (0%) from non-governmental sources. The contents are those of Wheeler and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, SAMHSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.