Many Nevada emergency departments are using mobile outreach teams to bolster their ability to address the needs of patients who present with an opioid overdose or who are diagnosed with a primary/secondary opioid use disorder. These teams can provide specialized services for patients that supplement and extend the services currently provided through the ED. They work directly with Integrated Opioid Treatment and Recovery Centers (IOTRCs) to provide a direct referral to Medication Assisted Treatment or other behavioral health services.
When a qualifying patient presents in the emergency department, mobile outreach teams are dispatched to the hospital to provide support from a peer recovery specialist and a certified drug and alcohol counselor. If the patient is willing to speak with them, the team will provide:
- A brief risk assessment and motivational interview
- Connections to care (as established by their hub and spoke model) including medication assisted treatment, pain management services, health care, and housing and other social services
- Overdose education and take-home naloxone
Mobile recovery teams are directed under Nevada’s integrated opioid treatment and recovery centers (IOTRCs) and Nevada
If you are interested in learning more about mobile teams or would like to utilize mobile teams in your hospitals, please contact Krysti Smith: ksmith@casat.org