USA. Buprenorphine Access: Telehealth Revolution Faces Uncertain Future
USA. Buprenorphine Access: Telehealth Revolution Faces Uncertain Future
This summer, a young woman was revived by paramedics after an overdose at her home in Upstate New York. She refused transport to the hospital, a common occurrence among people who use drugs who have been historically mistreated by the health care system. Two years prior, emergency responders would have noted her as “refusing treatment” and swiftly left her. Instead, she was given a completely different option—one she actually wanted.
A mere 20 minutes after the paramedics left, from the comfort of her own living room, she was able to meet virtually with an addiction medicine prescriber, who offered her a prescription for buprenorphine.
“An example like that happens every day,” Dr. Joshua Lynch, founder and medical director of NY MATTERS, told Filter. (Filter, USA, 25.10.2022)