The New Brighter Futures Mobile Recovery Clinic will make addiction treatment services more accessible across Boone County.
Transportation is one of the biggest barriers for people seeking treatment for addiction. Boone Memorial Health (BMH) and the team from its Brighter Futures Program are taking major steps toward removing that barrier with a new Mobile Recovery Clinic that will make substance use disorder and mental health treatment accessible to patients closer to where they live.
The BMH Brighter Futures Mobile Recovery Clinic will be the first of its kind in West Virginia to offer the full scope of its comprehensive addiction recovery program in a mobile environment. Those services will include:
- Clinical Assessments
- Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
- Individual and Group Therapy
- Peer Recovery Support
- Case Management
- Social Services
- Referral Services
- Food and Clothing Assistance
- Career Placement
“Boone Memorial Health is very proud of the work our BMH Brighter Futures team has been able to accomplish. As many know, Boone County was one of the counties hardest hit in the country by the opioid epidemic, and the number of lives we have been able to change since establishing Brighter Futures in 2020 has been tremendous. We are very pleased to be able to expand the program even further by removing geographic and transportation obstacles that too often create a barrier for patients in need of treatment. As illustrated by this initiative, our commitment to ‘Bringing Medicine Home’ is more than just a tagline – it’s a promise,” said Boone Memorial Health President and CEO, Virgil Underwood.
The BMH Mobile Recovery Unit was funded through a grant administered by the WV Department of Human Services, Bureau for Behavioral Health State Opioid Response (SOR) Team through a grant award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
“The financial support received from the SOR Team has truly made our Mobile Recovery Clinic a reality,” said BMH Chief Development Officer David Gresham. “By providing funding for not only the mobile unit but operational costs, BMH Brighter Futures is able to bring much-needed treatment to services to the more rural areas of our region. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership and guidance.”
BMH Brighter Futures Executive Director, Brent Tomblin, continued by saying, “The impact that we’re making in the community, we feel, is second to none. This new Mobile Recovery Clinic is an important extension to our work of helping individuals go from active addiction to achieving long-term sobriety and overall well-being. We treat patients like family and take a holistic approach to their care. We are not just concerned with patients’ addiction and mental health needs but also focused on their families and the communities in which they live.”
Individuals interested in seeking care from BMH Brighter Futures at a BMH Mobile Recovery Clinic location, or at the Madison office, may make an appointment by calling (304) 369-7876. Walk-ins at any Brighter Futures location are also welcomed.
To learn more about the Brighter Futures program, medication assisted treatment, and to watch patient success stories, click here.
A ribbon cutting event for the Mobile Recovery Clinic was held at Boone Memorial Hospital on February 23, 2024. During the event, remarks were delivered by Boone Memorial Health President and CEO Virgil Underwood, BMH Brighter Futures Executive Director Brent Tomblin, State Opioid Response Treatment Program Manager Jackie Fleshman, Boone County Commission President Brett Kuhn, and BMH General Counsel and Chief External Affairs Officer Ray Harrell.
