Information and connections to local substance use resources, screenings for HIV and Hepatitis C, naloxone, and more available to the public.
TEMPE,
ARIZONA, February 25, 2020 – The Centerpoint for Hope-Mobilize AZ free
mobile clinic will visit Safford, Arizona, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday,
March 6, 2020. The clinic will take place at St. Vincent de Paul, 221 E. Main St., Safford, AZ 85546.
The
mobile clinic is the result of a groundbreaking partnership between
Crisis Response Network’s Centerpoint for Hope and Mobilize AZ, Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona’s public health movement. The free
mobile clinic travels across Arizona to bring resources to people
struggling with opioid and substance use.
The mobile clinic provides a variety of services to deliver individualized support, promote recovery, and reduce overdoses:
- Screening and connection to community resources
- Health testing (e.g., HIV and Hepatitis C)
- Information about and connection to substance use resources by peer support specialists
- Confidential substance use assessment and referral to services, including opioid treatment services, and initiation of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
- Free Naloxone (opioid overdose reversal medication)
“By
combining Mobilize AZ resources with Centerpoint for Hope’s proven
emergency response platform, we are piloting a new way to respond to the
opioid epidemic and becoming a model for other states to emulate in
their fight against addiction,” notes Dr.
Christine Bracamonte Wiggs, Director of Community Health Interventions
& Health Equity at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.
The health screenings and harm reduction support are provided by Sonoran Prevention Works staff. Community
Medical Services (CMS) leads MAT engagement and serves as a conduit to
local MAT providers for people who would like to start treatment. To
view a list of scheduled clinic locations, please visit: centerpointforhope.org/mobilize-az-clinic-schedule.
Centerpoint for Hope, a program of Crisis Response Network, is
a non-profit organization dedicated to working in partnership with
first responders, local communities, government and health service
providers to support disaster readiness, response and recovery services
to communities.
“We
are proud to work with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona in support of
their Mobilize AZ initiative to help combat the opioid epidemic in our
state. The mobile clinics are not a one-and-done visit, they help
connect residents with local resources and we follow up with individuals
to monitor their progress,” says Justin Chase, President and CEO of
Crisis Response Network.
Mobile outreach services are provided via the Centerpoint
for Hope Tragedy Response Vehicle (TRV), which is a customized mobile
coordination center (for first responders or others) that features
satellite connection, Wi-Fi internet hotspot, cell phone and computer
charging stations, private meeting areas and more. With an onboard
generator, the TRV can operate for 72 hours without additional support
to serve as a vessel of care to allow behavioral health services,
resource navigation, or basic public health functions to be facilitated
anywhere.
Centerpoint
has staff trained in emergency management and the TRV is on-call for
statewide deployment which can be coordinated through Volunteer
Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), Community Organizations Active
in Disaster (COAD), state and county emergency management, and public
safety agencies. Centerpoint can also be contacted directly.
Centerpoint
is available for other organizations to utilize and contract for
on-call capabilities for their own incident response plans and other
“blue sky” (non-emergency) projects such as employee assistance and
wellness programs, organizational trainings, as a mobile command post,
etc.
