Partnerships for Integrating Outpatient Medication Assisted Treatment Into Local Public Health: Increasing Access to Treatment in Rural Idaho

According to the Idaho Office of Drug Policy, 1,900 Idahoans died of overdose-related deaths in the first year of the pandemic, compared to 264 deaths in 2019. In 2020, the North Idaho region was the second highest opioid prescribing region in the state, according to the Board of Pharmacy. To combat substance use disorder (SUD) in rural Idaho, an evidenced-based outpatient opioid treatment program partnered with the State of Idaho and the Panhandle Health District to establish Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) access in rural Idaho. In December 2021, hybrid satellite MAT clinics were established within two Panhandle Health District Health Centers in the Idaho Panhandle. The Panhandle Health District provides over 40 different public health programs to families, individuals, and organizations in northern Idaho. Co-locating a specialized MAT program within the health district allowed for shared resources and coordinated referrals. The two communities in rural Idaho identified for this program include Kellogg and Sandpoint, each with a population of less than 3,000 and 9,000 people, respectively. From December 2021 to August 2022, the clinics provided more than 400 MAT appointments to 107 distinct patients.

This session will review the development and implementation of the innovative program to bring SUD treatment to these rural communities, including how to establish a private-public partnership, anticipate employee recruitment challenges, leverage shared resources, and the utilization of telehealth.