Innovative Approaches to Access Treatment and Harm Reduction Services in a Rural, Underserved Community

A small 25-bed Critical Access Hospital in rural Ulster County, New York, Ellenville Regional Hospital has been at the forefront of cultivating innovative practices to reduce barriers for people with substance use disorder. Beginning by culling opioid prescription rates in the Emergency Department, the hospital embraced a harm reduction approach and launched Project RESCUE with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality of substance use and overdose. Project RESCUE expands access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) by offering buprenorphine in the Emergency Department and harm reduction services both in-house and through collaborations with community partners. Located in a federally designated Medically Underserved Area, Ellenville Regional has made harm reduction services easily accessible to a population in critical need. This was achieved through innovative practices, such as a confidential textline, virtual naloxone trainings, drive-thru medication take-back events, and vast community partnerships, which proved increasingly vital during the COVID-19 pandemic.