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Nearly every Boston neighborhood has been affected by the national opioid epidemic, and fatal overdoses have nearly tripled in the past five years.
Care
ZONE assembles a team of partners in preventive care, addiction services, and harm reduction to serve individuals not well-connected to health care, experiencing homelessness and/or battling addiction. Below are some FAQ about the program.
What services are offered by CareZONE?
- Addiction Services: Referrals to opioid treatment programs, in-patient detox, and medications for addiction treatment
- Harm Reduction: Naloxone, overdose prevention education, risk reduction counseling, and syringe exchange
- Preventive Care: Screenings, immunizations, chronic disease management (including hypertension, diabetes, HIV treatment), and referrals to behavioral health, hepatitis C treatment, specialty medical care, and other services based on patient needs and preferences.
Who will operate the CareZONE van?
Staff from Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program will partner with the Boston Public Health Commission's AHOPE harm reduction team to provide services from the van. The Kraft Center will provide project leadership.
What will your schedule be for the CareZONE van?
The van will conduct at least four 4-hour clinics per week; two in the Dudley Square area, and two in the West End area. Exact hours will vary depending on need, and the
CareZONE van may relocate if local data demonstrate emerging needs in other areas of the city.
Where will you be parking the CareZONE van?
Our intent is to park in places that will not disturb neighbors or disrupt communities or traffic. We will be parking mostly on side streets or in public lots.
How long will you offer these services?
This is a 6-8 month pilot. After the pilot, we may choose to expand or relocate the program. Decisions around the future of the program will be based on the results of the pilot.
Who is your target population?
We plan to work with people who are not otherwise receiving medical care. We will be focusing on neighborhoods where we see significant unmet health care, mental health, or addiction services needs.
How are you working with existing health care providers?
Rather than provide services that a client may already be receiving, our goal is to support and stabilize people who are not currently receiving care and to connect them to existing services at local community health centers and with other community-based providers.
