Boston Medical Center is reaching even more adolescents and young adults struggling with substance use disorder thanks to a recent $50,000 CVS Health Community Grant, which funded the expansion of the BMC-based Center for Addiction Treatment for AdoLescents/Young adults who use SubsTances (CATALYST) Clinic. CATALYST provides access to a wide range of services including primary care, behavioral health and support resources for adolescents and young adults struggling with substance use. The grant supports BMC’s overall goal of increasing access to treatment and harm reduction services for this patient population.
The CATALYST model is based on the office-based addiction treatment (OBAT) model, also developed at BMC, which offers multidisciplinary, comprehensive addiction treatment to patients in primary care. CATALYST has adapted that approach to provide developmentally appropriate care for younger populations who are at risk for or currently fighting addiction.
“As a health care innovation company, we are committed to helping people on their path to better health. We are proud to support organizations that increase access to quality health care because we know their efforts are critical to building healthier communities,” says Eileen Howard Boone, senior vice president, Corporate Social Responsibility & Philanthropy, CVS Health. “We are pleased to support the work that BMC is doing in the community and we look forward to working with them to advance their mission.”
CVS Health has provided $100,000 in grant funding to support the advancement of programs at BMC over the last two years. In addition to this BMC program to support young adults struggling with addiction, last year CVS Health funded Project ECHO—an initiative focused on growing the OBAT model at a national level.
