Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Overdose Response - Wellness Equity Institute (WEI) will deploy a mobile medicine team to rural, high-need communities in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, California, to reduce opioid overdoses and expand access to harm reduction, screening, and treatment services. Through a rotating outreach model, WEI will provide naloxone and fentanyl test strips (Tier 1 – 1.1), SUD/OUD screenings and treatment referrals (Tier 1 – 1.3), and health insurance enrollment assistance (Tier 2 – 2.1) to unhoused individuals, justice-involved populations, and veterans. Targeting Blythe (92225), Yucca Valley (92284), and Twentynine Palms (92277), this program will engage at least 200 individuals in screenings, distribute 500+ naloxone kits, and assist 50 uninsured individuals with enrollment. By integrating services with first responders, county agencies, and community-based organizations, WEI will establish sustainable pathways to treatment and recovery, reducing opioid-related deaths in isolated and underserved desert communities.
