NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — A mobile medication unit offering methadone treatment opened in the South Bronx on Wednesday, an effort to meet people suffering from opioid addiction where they are and provide recovery services.
The unit, opened by the human resources nonprofit Acacia Network, will be located most of the time at 997 Brook Avenue, but will travel when needed.
Dr. David Collymore, Chief Medical Officer of Acacia Network, said that methadone treatment decreases overdose deaths by at least 50%.
“What methadone does is it occupies that space, so that they may no longer have that same desire to seek the illicit substance, so they’re not committing crimes,” Collymore said.
The mobile medical unit is licensed by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, and offers bilingual treatment (English and Spanish) for those impacted by substance abuse. It will be staffed by a nurse practitioner, registered nurse and licensed practical nurse.
In addition to methadone, the Acacia Network said the unit will offer relapse prevention, individual and group therapy, health insurance navigation and referrals for primary care and mental health services.
Overdose deaths rose 12% from 2021 to 2022 in New York City, and the rate was highest in the Bronx in 2022, according to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The launch is the nonprofit's first mobile medical unit, with others soon to deploy in Brooklyn, Albany, Buffalo and Dunkirk, the Acacia Network said.
“We want to reverse the opioid overdose death rate, we want to get that number going in the opposite direction, and mobile medication units are one way to stem the tide,” Collymore said.