Trillium Health to launch mobile clinic in Brunswick County and increase access to care

BRUNSWICK COUNTY – As North Carolina continues to battle an opioid epidemic, residents of Brunswick County, who have high rates of opioid prescriptions, will soon have access to another line of care with the one of six new mobile care units from Trillium Health Resources.

According to data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, more than 28,000 North Carolina residents lost their lives to drug overdoses between 2000 and 2020.

Starting in January, Trillium will partner with Coastal Horizons, a Wilmington-based nonprofit drug treatment center, to operate two mobile health clinics in coastal North Carolina counties for patients with Medicaid or that are not insured.

With a population of just over 136,000, 13.5% of Brunswick County residents under the age of 65 did not have health insurance in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau. That’s higher than the state average of 10.2%.

“The goal of mobile clinics is to reduce barriers to accessing care for underserved and rural communities to promote health equity for all,” said Christie Edwards, Vice President of Innovative Development and solutions for Trillium members.

Coastal Horizons said it treated 1,706 active patients for mental health or substance abuse disorders in Brunswick County in 2020.

The mobile care unit will visit Brunswick County once a week with locations, times and dates to be determined based on needs within the community. Trillium and Coastal Horizons will partner with county stakeholders and community members to determine the best route and time for people to access these services.

Brunswick, along with the other counties, was selected on the basis of its “high percentage of historically marginalized populations who need increased access to care,” Edwards explained.

According to a press release, the pandemic reminded Trillium of “the disparities in health care experienced by people of color, residents of rural areas and people insured by Medicaid in the 27 counties.” [Trillium serves]. “

Brunswick County is considered to be at high risk for death associated with opioid use disorder, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. As it is one of the top 10 counties in North Carolina with the highest number of opioids prescribed; 18.4% of Brunswick County residents receive pills, compared to 13.7% statewide.

In 2019, a Brunswick County Community Health Opinion Poll identified drug abuse as the biggest health problem and the area in need of the most improvement.

As mental health issues and substance use disorders continue to increase, especially among historically marginalized demographics, emergency rooms are inundated with patients. According to the Journal of American Medical Association, emergency department visits for mental health issues, suicide attempts, drug and opioid overdoses, domestic violence, and child abuse and neglect were on the rise from mid-March to October 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, compared to the same period in 2019.

The objective of the mobile unit is to alleviate the need for emergency patients to access care. In 2020, Brunswick County’s emergency room overdose rate was 79.8 per 100,000 population in 2020, which is lower than the state average of 142.5 per 100,000 population.

Trillium and Coastal Horizons have partnered in the past, most recently opening a new opioid treatment program in Shallotte last August. The Drug Assisted Treatment Program serves residents of Brunswick County suffering from opioid dependence.

According to the press release from Trillium, the mobile clinics may also offer drug treatment to people suffering from opioid dependence in the future.

Trillium launched its first mobile care unit earlier this year, partnering with PORT Health to serve Chowan, Perquimans and Pasquotank counties. With approximately $ 1.4 million from the federal drug treatment grant, distributed by the NCDHHS, Trillium can now serve 16 counties in total with its new mobile health clinics.

“The initial mobile clinic was very successful, so when additional funds became available Trillium was happy to be able to expand this model to other communities,” said Edwards.

Specific services can be tailored to each of the mobile units, but should include mental health screenings, general check-ups, vaccinations, treatment for substance use disorders, traditional therapy, assertive approach , medication management through telemedicine, care management and peer support.

According to Edwards, the main services provided by the current mobile unit are outpatient therapy and medication management.

“If provider locations aren’t accessible or available, people often miss basic treatments or procedures for preventable conditions,” Trillium executive vice president Cindy Ehlers said in the statement.

Partnerships and additional coverage for the six new mobile care units include:

• Monarch serving the counties of Halifax, Gates, Northampton and Nash;
• PORT serving Dare and Carteret with one unit; and a second unit will provide disaster relief to work with the hurricane shelter response efforts;
• Coastal Horizons will also have a unit to serve Bladen County;
• RHA will serve Beaufort, Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington counties (including Ocracoke Island).

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