SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Transportation is a persistent problem in rural healthcare. Patients who don’t have cars have an added barrier when it comes to accessing care; even when patients have transportation, the long travel times to and from hospitals can be prohibitive.

Bridge Back to Life Center (BBTLC) came to Sullivan County at the start of the year to help. BBTLC is a center for the treatment of substance use disorder; it is active in the New York City metro area, offering recovery services including telehealth and counseling.

Sullivan County’s drug task force partnered with BBTLC to bring a mobile treatment unit (MTU) to the county.

The MTU was announced at a January press conference. It’s a 32-foot-long trailer that travels around Sullivan County offering counseling services, references to BBTLC’s telehealth offerings and narcan trainings, among other forms of assistance.

“We’ll be going to the different towns throughout the county and focusing on treatment of addiction, as well as mental health within the area,” said Heather Guinan, a nurse practitioner with the MTU, when she introduced the initiative to the Tusten Town Board following the announcement.

The MTU established a set schedule around May, beginning its efforts in earnest. It has had a great reception since then, said Guinan and Julia Lybolt, a counselor with the initiative.

It has had “a lot of community support, which is huge,” said Guinan.

The number of people using the service varies from day to day, and from location to location. Some days are almost silent, others have four people calling at the same time. The MTU gets a lot of people coming in asking for information when it stops in the hamlet of Callicoon; its stops in Roscoe and Livingston Manor see more people seeking recovery options from substance use disorders.

The people who come to the MTU aren’t mandated into treatment. The average person who seeks treatment is employed, and while they’re struggling with opiates or with mental health, they want a discreet form of treatment.

“I think a lot of people have options that they’re just not aware of,” said Lybolt.

The MTU’s immediate goal involves bringing more people into treatment programs. The weather plays a role in this goal, said Guinan; the MTU is hoping to bring people into treatment programs while the weather is nice and the unit can still travel, so that people can still benefit from BBTLC’s telehealth programs, even if winter storms prevent the unit from being in person. Location plays a role as well; the MTU is still ironing out the wrinkles in its schedule, figuring out what locations don’t work, and what locations need more-frequent visits.

Looking at long-term goals, the MTU hopes to offer more services to Sullivan County’s youth. The unit will try and talk to schools in October, promoting its services to parents who might not otherwise hear about it. The MTU hopes as well to have someone on board next year to provide therapy for adolescents struggling with mental health issues.

“I just hope that more people see us and come to us, even if it’s not about being in treatment,” said Lybolt: the MTU offers information and Narcan training as well. The MTU’s schedule is available at sullivan180.org/events/, or at facebook.com/SullivanCountyMobileTreatmentUnit. Call 845/367-4673 or email jybolt@bridgebacktolife.com for more information about the MTU or its offerings.