Opioid hub treatment model shows success in Washington, could come to Oregon

Think Out Loud

Over the last few years, Washington state has funded five “health engagement hubs” to help treat people with fentanyl addictions. The model offers drop-in buprenorphine or methadone at no cost to people suffering from opioid addiction, as well as harm reduction services and other health care. The idea is to make treatment as easy to access as the drugs themselves, says Caleb Banta-Green, a researcher at University of Washington who has championed the model. Washington U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, has recently introduced a bill in Congress that would fund health engagement hubs through Medicaid. Banta-Green joins us to explain the impact the centers are having in Washington.