Navigating the road to recovery from opioid addiction often hits roadblocks, such as shame, stigma and financial hurdles. Beyond these, a lack of awareness about available resources can leave individuals and families feeling lost and uncertain. New Season — an opioid treatment provider with more than 80 treatment centers in 20 states, including one in Mobile County — identified transportation as a significant barrier for its patients at the center. Their solution? The organization’s Mobile County Uber Health program, launched in late July, which is already changing lives, thanks to opioid litigation settlement funds.
The City of Mobile received an initial $2.2 million in settlement funds from opioid litigation. They partnered with The Helios Alliance, a consulting organization, to manage the grant allocation process, using data-driven analysis and simulation modeling to ensure the funds had the greatest impact. New Season saw an opportunity to address a critical need for its patients.
Filling a Need
“We identified that transportation was the biggest need for our particular patients at this specific clinic,” says Mary Beth Puckett, grant director at New Season. The organization already had other financial assistance programs for treatment, so they looked for ways to maximize the new funding. “Transportation seemed to be the recurring one, the one that we heard the most.”
The ride share service Uber launched Uber Health in 2018 as a platform for healthcare providers. Providers can book medical appointment rides for patients through the platform. The program has since expanded to include prescription and grocery delivery. But the service can be cost-prohibitive to certain vulnerable populations.
Shawn Parker, a program director at New Season, had prior experience with a similar Uber Health initiative funded by a project settlement in Florida. “We knew what the program would cost,” says Puckett. “We saw the benefits of it. We saw the different data that came out of it. So we had a good idea that this would work in Mobile and be very efficient and effective, especially as big as, you know, Mobile County is.”
Sweet Success
The results from the Uber Health program have been swift and striking. Parker reported that since its launch in late July, the program has provided 1,545 rides for 41 patients. These patients are showing tangible progress in their recovery journeys.
“When the program launched, about 45% of those patients were testing positive for listed substances every month,” says Parker. “That is now reduced down to 29% of the program participants. So we’re seeing a 17% reduction in illicit drug use with these program participants.”
This reduction is directly linked to increased access to daily treatment. Beyond medication, regular attendance means more access to counseling services and medical providers, creating a stronger support system.
“It comes down to being able to get into the center daily, which makes sure that the medication dose that they’re on is sustaining them for 24 hours, and they are feeling well, and they don’t have to self-medicate with other illicit substances,” says Parker.
New Life
New Season’s Mobile facility, opened in 1992, offers FDA-approved medications like methadone, buprenorphine and Suboxone (alsoknown as Subutex). These medications, explained Darrell Lee, the Southeast region community liaison at New Season, are crucial for managing cravings and withdrawals. “We’re seeking first to stop the cravings, help them through withdrawals, and [the medications] bind to receptor sites to block the opioids.” This medical support lays thegroundwork for patients to engage in counseling, identify triggers and build a new life. Concurrently, counseling addresses everything from family trauma to triggers, allowing patients to lead their own recovery journey.
One powerful example illustrates the program’s impact: a patient who previously spent six hours daily commuting to and from the center via public transportation and walking. With Uber Health, this same journey now takes an hour, giving them five hours back each day.
“They’re able to take that time to spend more time with their children,” says Parker. “They’re starting to look for meaningful employment because they actually have the time where they can start working. So that’s a pretty good encapsulation of what this program can do.”
Beyond transportation, New Season addresses financial barriers through federal treatment scholarships and is rolling out a program to incorporate primary care and infectious disease services directly into its centers. This creates a one-stop shop where patients can receive medication for opioid use disorder, counseling, and care for other health issues like diabetes or hepatitis C.
The Uber Health program’s success in Mobile is a testament to the power of targeted funding and dedicated service.
“I am ecstatic that state attorneys general have gotten the settlement funds and made it available to patients and victims of the opioid epidemic,” says Parker. “And that this money is being put into good use, not just by New Season, but by all of the service providers out there, that this money is making a world of difference in all of our patients’ lives.”
