Transporting to treatment: Evaluating the effectiveness of a mobile engagement unit
Stewart, Rebecca E.; Shen, Lisa; Kwon, Nayoung; Vigderman, Josh; Kramer, Susanna; Mandell, David S.; Candon, Molly; Lamb, Roland; Rothbard, Aileen B.
Why this matters
Getting someone to agree to treatment is not the same as getting them there. Among 468 Medicaid-enrolled people, those transported to intake appointments by a mobile engagement unit had significantly higher use of outpatient substance use services and methadone maintenance than those referred by standard methods.
Abstract
This retrospective cohort study examined whether mobile engagement units effectively connected individuals with opioid use disorder to treatment. Researchers analyzed 468 Medicaid-enrolled individuals from 2018-2019, comparing those transported to intake appointments via mobile unit versus those arriving through standard referral methods. After adjusting for prior service history, mobile participants demonstrated significantly higher utilization of outpatient substance use services and methadone maintenance. The findings suggest that mobile engagement units designed to identify and serve individuals with OUD in the community hold promise for reaching underserved high-risk populations and reducing barriers to treatment entry and recovery.