Inside STAT: Teams bring addiction care to patients, wherever they are

EMILE HEBERT (RIGHT) VISITS THE TOM WADDELL HEALTH CENTER IN SAN FRANCISCO. (ERIC KAYNE FOR STAT)

San Francisco is home to one of a handful of novel programs across the country that are taking the unusual step of delivering comprehensive treatment for addiction to patients — wherever they are. Physicians and other health professionals approach patients in shelters, syringe exchange sites, and homeless encampments. They’re hoping to help patients who can’t or won’t jump through the hoops of health care bureaucracy, whether that’s appointments and referrals or even obtaining a photo ID. That strategy seems to be working. In San Francisco, half of the 300 patients initially prescribed buprenorphine during a pilot study are still in contact with the system. STAT's Lev Facher has the story here.