Through a partnership between Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Health and Human Services and Mt. Juliet-based addiction treatment company Cedar Recovery, mobile addiction treatment is available to Tennessee residents in five rural counties.
The medically equipped mobile clinic, housed in a converted RV and funded by a $2.92 million federal grant MTSU received from the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will serve Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Franklin and Marshall counties.
“The 30-foot-long mobile health clinic features a waiting area that also serves as a space for group counseling, drug screenings and exam rooms where patients meet with healthcare professionals who can prescribe the medications they need to treat their substance use disorder,” said Paul Trivette, Chief Strategy Officer of Cedar Recovery.
Founded in 2015, Cedar Recovery is an outpatient program with 13 locations in Tennessee and Virginia.
“The clinic is designed to feel like a Cedar Recovery office – warm and inviting,” said Cynthia Chafin, director of the Center for Health and Human Services. “The interior feels homey and non-medical, with a welcoming and calm atmosphere.”
The grant, which will fund the mobile unit for three years, is part of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), a Health Resources and Services Administration initiative to reduce morbidity and mortality from substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder.
The primary purpose of the grant-funded mobile unit is to provide FDA-approved medication-assisted treatment to residents in rural areas of Middle Tennessee struggling with substance use disorders as well as mild to moderate mental health issues.
Part of the grant will also be used to finance the staff of the mobile health clinic.
