‘The unit comes to you’: New mobile clinic serves rural Tennessee counties battling substance abuse disorders

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee has one of the highest drug overdose death rates in the country, trailing only behind West Virginia.

Certain communities in the state have struggled more than others, which is why two Middle Tennessee organizations have teamed up to bring resources to those who need it most, but may not be able to access help.

📧 Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →

“‘The goal is to have no barriers to treatment if you need help, we’re there, we will not turn people away the inability to pay, they can come here into this unit and be met with love, compassion, kindness, and mercy to seek the care that they need,” Chief Strategy Officer for Cedar Recovery Paul Trivette explained.

It’s everything you would expect and everything you would need to battle a substance use disorder, except this center is on wheels.

“The unit comes to you. It’s coming where you are — in your community. No one should be forced to leave their community to get the help that they deserve and need and that’s what this unit is trying to accomplish,” Trivette said. “Overdose deaths in the addiction epidemic just continue to increase. It’s had generational effects. Rural counties that typically have lower access to healthcare services end up being the most impacted because you look at the way poverty places into this: genetics, environment, access to resources.”

The mobile addiction treatment is focused on Tennesseans living in rural counties. The unit was made possible through a partnership between Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Health and Human Services (CHHS), and Cedar Recovery, which is based in Mt. Juliet.

“Access to transportation,” Trivette said. “That’s one of the biggest barriers of treatment. Telehealth has played a big part into this, but we have to keep in mind that telehealth creates connection, not community. This face to have that we’re having, that our team has, that creates community.”

Cedar Recovery is an outpatient program with 13 locations throughout Tennessee and Virginia, as well as telehealth offerings. However, this mobile unit is focused on five rural counties: Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Franklin and Marshall counties.

“Its such a troubling issue. With substance use disorder and opioid use disorder, everybody deserves treatment. Not being able to access it is not a good reason to not help somebody, so we’re bringing the services where they are,” CHHS director Cynthia Chafin said.

The mobile clinic was funded by a $2.92 million federal grant that MTSU obtained from the Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The grant, which will fund the mobile unit for three years, is part of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program , or RCORP, a Health Resources and Services Administration initiative aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder.

“Being able to pay should also not prohibit someone from getting services,” Chafin explained. “Thanks to this grant, the cost of treatment will also be covered. To me, the most appealing part of it was helping people that really need it and take it to where they are.”

The primary purpose of the grant-funded mobile unit is to provide FDA-approved medication-assisted treatment for residents in rural areas of Middle Tennessee who are battling substance use disorders as well as mild to moderate mental health issues.

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

A portion of the grant also funds staffing for the mobile health clinic. All insurance companies, including Medicare and TennCare, cover the treatment and medications.

“We have an opioid crisis in this country — substance use in general — so we have a really good opportunity to change a whole lot of lives with this grant,” Chafin said.

To learn more about the mobile unit, and to set up an appointment, Cedar Recovery details its schedule and treatment on its website.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.