Health Experts Hope Mobile Treatment Programs Will Increase Access to Methadone

Some public health experts hope mobile treatment programs that provide methadone to people with opioid use disorder will be an effective way of dealing with the fentanyl crisis, The New York Times reports.

Methadone has been used for decades to treat opioid use disorder, but it can be difficult to access because of government rules that have kept distribution tightly controlled. Some of those rules are now loosening, the article notes. Substance use disorder experts say methadone is especially important as the strength of street fentanyl has increased the opioid tolerance levels of some people so high that other medications and approaches are not always effective.

Mobile vans to distribute methadone were approved by the federal government in 2021, lifting a moratorium on their use that had been in place since 2007. Their goal is to reach some of the millions of Americans with opioid use disorder that methadone clinics can’t.

While the vans make treatment more accessible, the cost and ongoing restrictions limit the number of people that they can help, as well. Constructing and outfitting a methadone van costs about $375,000. They have to replicate the high-security environments of clinics, with a security guard, 360-degree cameras and a safe for the medication. There are now 42 vans registered nationally, though not all are operational yet.