University News

UVA Health Partners With Local Shelter To Provide Opioid-Use Treatment

July 15, 2024 • By Zeina Mohammed, spr2jm@virginia.edu Zeina Mohammed, spr2jm@virginia.edu

Left, UVa Health building, right, the sign outside of The Haven

A multidisciplinary team from UVA Health, including a physician, nurse and social worker, will work out of The Haven once a week to offer care for opioid-use disorder. (Photo by University Communications/Contributed photo)

UVA Health and The Haven, a local day shelter and housing resource, have teamed up to offer opioid-use disorder care to some of Charlottesville’s unhoused residents.

Once a week, a multidisciplinary team from UVA Health, including a social worker, physician, and addiction specialist, will offer services at The Haven.

“A lot of people struggling with addiction find it extremely challenging to navigate a system like UVA’s,” said Dr. Nassima Ait-Daoud Tiouririne, a UVA Health psychiatrist and specialist in addiction medicine who is leading the program. “So, we’ve decided instead of waiting for people to show up in the clinic, why don’t we go to them where they are?”

Dr. Nassima Ait-Daoud Tiouririne is a UVA Health psychiatrist who specializes in addiction medicine. (UVA Health photo)

The program aims to address each patient’s needs, including helping them apply for Medicaid, setting up electronic medical records at UVA to communicate with physicians and providing transportation for clients to access off-site resources.

The Opioid Abatement Authority, a state grant, funds the SmART (street medicine, access, reduction and treatment) program and expands on an existing partnership between the two institutions. Since 2019, UVA Health has operated a primary health care clinic at The Haven, staffed by UVA physicians and medical students.

“Our hope really is for everyone to receive non-judgmental, non-coercive care that is really unique to their needs,” said Ocean Aiello, The Haven’s community engagement manager. “We know that access to quality health care has historically been difficult for folks experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty.”