In 2021, an estimated 2.5 million people in the U.S. aged 18 years or older had an opioid use disorder, and only 1 in 5 of them received medications to treat it, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Barriers to care often include lack of insurance or other financial resources, inadequate access to transportation, poor social support, and confusion about where and how to access care. At UAB, providers in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology are doing their part to break down these barriers.
The Beacon ACT Clinic, which stands for Access, Connection, Transition, is in its second year of operation at UAB. It essentially acts as an “urgent care” or “bridge clinic” for patients struggling with addiction, providing same-day medical treatment and prescriptions for opioid use disorder.
“We developed the Beacon ACT Clinic model to eliminate as many barriers as possible for people seeking life-saving medication and treatment for opioid use disorder,” said Lauren Griffin, clinical director. “Our goal is for help to be accessible to anyone, regardless of insurance status or financial resources. If we can provide that help, our patients walk away with hope.”
The clinic is currently the only one in the state of Alabama operating under this model – offering no-barrier access to critical care for high-risk patients struggling with opioid addiction. When a patient comes to the clinic, they are met by a peer recovery support specialist, whose own lived experience of recovery from substance use is critical to establish that initial engagement with the patient. The patient is then seen by a board-certified physician to establish a plan for medical care, which includes a prescription for naltrexone or buprenorphine (commonly known as Suboxone).
The patient sees a masters-level counselor for an assessment to determine recommendations for substance use treatment. Finally, the patient’s visit is rounded out by meeting with a care coordinator, who coordinates appropriate referrals and facilitates the transition process to get the patient connected to long-term medical care and/or substance use treatment, depending on patient preferences and resources.
“Research indicates that opioid bridge programs have positive results in quick linkage to care for those in need,” said John Dantzler, Ph.D., executive director of the Substance Abuse Division and Vice Chair for Addiction Programs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology. “Given the increase in overdoses and high risk of death, the sooner we can connect patients with medications for opioid use disorder and link them to longer term care the likelihood of overdose or death is decreased.”
In its first year, the clinic served more than 300 individuals, each of whom walked through its doors during the clinic’s open hours with no appointment required to receive treatment. With the Beacon ACT Clinic offering critical medical assistance to patients with opioid use disorder, the community has another resource for immediate treatment beyond the emergency room.
“Our clinic focuses on meeting patients where they are to get them treatment as quickly as possible and then connecting them to ongoing care,” said Leah Leisch, M.D., medical director. “This type of model has been shown to improve retention in treatment and decrease illicit opioid use, all while decreasing costs associated with visits to the emergency department.”
The clinic is a part of the larger Beacon Recovery and its onsite clinic Beacon Integrated Healthcare at UAB, which is an outpatient substance use treatment program offering adults and adolescents who are uninsured or who have Medicaid a range of services, including group and individual counseling, tailored toward their recovery goals. Many patients who come in through the Beacon ACT Clinic prefer to enroll in treatment at Beacon Recovery, where funding is available for ongoing medical care, medications for opioid use disorder, and comprehensive substance use treatment that sets them up with the best possible prognosis for successful recovery.
“As we begin our second year of the ACT Clinic, we are witnessing an ever-increasing demand for this type of immediate care and linkage to treatment,” Dantzler said. “I am pleased that the Department of Psychiatry is able to provide this bridge program and subsequent treatment through funding from the Alabama Department of Mental Health.”
The UAB Beacon ACT Clinic, Beacon Recovery, and Beacon Integrated Healthcare are located at 530 Beacon Parkway W. Suite 301, Birmingham, Alabama 35209. The Beacon ACT Clinic accepts walk-in patients from 8 to 10 a.m., Mondays through Fridays. For questions, email beacon@uabmc.edu or call 205-917-3733 (select option 3, then option 2).