A new mobile unit that will provide psychiatric and substance use disorder treatment to people who are unhoused was unveiled in Portland Thursday.
The so-called CONNECT (Community Outreach Network Navigation Evidence-based Care and Treatment) van will be operated by the MaineHealth Preble Street Learning Collaborative, where Malia Haddock is a nurse practitioner.
"Even as our brick and mortar clinic hums with activity, there's an entire landscape of unhoused patients who are hesitant to walk through any door to access care," Haddock said.
City councilor April Fournier said that the care provided through the mobile unit will lead to better long term outcomes.
"A van that can now go and bring a clinical practice to these individuals, bring the treatment to them, lower the barriers, is far more likely to build trust, to build consistency, so that they have access to that continuum of services that hopefully will get them into recovery," she said.
The van will start traveling through Greater Portland five days a week on July 1. It's expected to serve 500 patients a year.
The program is funded for two years by a $500,000 American Rescue Plan grant through the city, as well as $50,000 in local grants.
