Medication Treatment Regional Resources
Click on your region to find a new provider:
Boston MA — Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Community Resource
Central MA — Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Community Resource
Northeast MA — Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Community Resource
Southeast MA — Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Community Resource
Western MA — Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Community Resource
Metro West — Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Community Resource
What is happening?
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services has received communication that several service providers across Massachusetts are no longer able to prescribe controlled substance medication, including those for behavioral health, pain, and substance use treatment. Please refer to the available resources provided on the resources page below to ensure continuity of your care.
Where can I go for rapid access to controlled substance medications including those for substance use disorder and treatment for pain?
If you need a new prescription and a bridge to long-term care, you can call the Boston Medical Center Addiction Warmline at no cost. The Warmline can serve all patients impacted by a disruption including by providing a bridge script if needed/appropriate, care coordination and linkage to long-term care. You can reach them at 617-414-4175.
Depending on when you call, you may not reach a person directly and you will receive a call back. The line is checked frequently during a disruption. You should receive a call back within a few hours.
When you receive a call back, your information and medical needs will be assessed and then a plan will be made for your medication and follow-up care.
Where can I go for behavioral health services including behavioral health controlled substance medication access?
Please contact the Behavioral Health Helpline (BHHL) at 833-773-2445, Massachusetts’s 24/7 statewide crisis, support, information, and referral line. This line will be able to connect you to a provider who will be able to provide an assessment and refer you to a care provider and mental health medications if appropriate, for instance at a Community Behavioral Healthcare Center (CBHC). You can also directly contact a Community Behavioral Health Center and find their contact information on the regional resource pages above and at their website (mass.goc/cbhc).
Where can I look for primary care services, including non-controlled substance prescription medication access?
• Call your insurance company on the back of your insurance card to help find a primary care provider who accepts your insurance. Many private insurance companies have search tools on their website to find a new provider.
• If you have MassHealth, look for eligible Primary Care Providers at this search tool.
• Patients who need urgent access to medications and cannot find an immediate appointment with a new primary care provider should visit their local urgent care or emergency room, depending on the level of emergency.
Where can I apply for health insurance?
• Call the MassHealth Member Customer Service Center, 1-800-841-2900. Contact them if you need help with eligibility, MassHealth benefits, replacing your MassHealth card, enrolling in a health plan, getting a MassHealth application, and about MassHealth and Children’s Medical Security Plan premiums.
• You can also apply for MassHealth insurance at this website.
• If you need in-person assistance applying for MassHealth, many community health centers can help. Look for your local community health center here.
Where can I go for substance use disorder harm reduction, treatment, and/or recovery services?
See the list of resources above for prescribers in your region who provide a variety of substance use related services or use the search function on this website. All locations listed offer medication for opioid use disorder. Office-Based Addiction Treatment (OBATs) and CBHCs also provide treatment and medication for other substance use disorders. You can find these programs in the Helpline search tool.
Where can I go to lower my risk when using alone?
SafeSpot provides virtual spotting services to people who use drugs to prevent overdose. An individual using drugs alone calls the line, uses the substance, and stays in verbal communication with the operator until both the caller and the operator have decided that it is safe to disconnect. If there is an emergency, the operator will call the designated responder given by the caller or emergency response services. By phone: 800-972-0590 or visiting their website (safe-spot.me).
Where can I get Narcan (naloxone)?
If you or someone you know is worried about overdosing, anyone can get naloxone (Narcan) from any pharmacy covered by your insurance or from a local organization that has a naloxone distribution program, such as a local opioid education and naloxone distribution program (OEND) or a syringe services program (SSP). You can find these sites at this Mass.gov website. (https://www.mass.gov/service-details/naloxone-distribution-program-locator).
Where can I go if I’m having a crisis?
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
If you are experiencing a behavioral health crisis, you should call the Behavioral Health Helpline (BHHL) at 833-773-2445. The BHHL is for ALL Massachusetts residents no matter your insurance and is meant to connect individuals and families to the full range of treatment services for mental health in Massachusetts, including outpatient, urgent, and immediate crisis care. Call for real-time support, initial clinical assessment, and connection to the right evaluation and treatment.
The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States. You can call or text 988 and chat online at 988lifeline.org.
Provider consult and mentorship
Massachusetts Consultation Service for the Treatment of Addiction and Pain (MCSTAP) provides real-time support to providers when caring for patients who seek treatment for pain or substance use disorder, including those affected by a disruption event. MCSTAP works to increase capacity and provider comfort using evidence-based practices in screening for, diagnosing, treating, and managing the care of patients with chronic pain and/or SUDs. Upon request, a MCSTAP physician consultant with expertise in SUD and chronic pain treatment will consult with a provider with prescribing and/or care management questions for a specific patient. MCSTAP also offers a clinical mentoring program, which enables providers to meet with a designated physician consultant regularly to discuss any patients including those inherited on high-dose opioids or other complex clinical issues. Call M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact them by phone MCSTAP at 833-PAIN-SUD (1-833-724-6783), or visiting their website (mcstap.com).
Disruption related health alerts
These health alerts outline sudden disruptions in care affecting patients across Massachusetts whose providers have lost authorization/ability to prescribe controlled substances. These notices highlight overdose and withdrawal risks and share resources for patients seeking ongoing care and technical assistance for providers inheriting patients.
Memo: Accepting New Patients Prescribed Controlled Substances
This memo offers guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for healthcare providers caring for patients whose access to their prescribed controlled substances have been disrupted. The memo focuses on supporting safe, patient-centered care and continuity to patients during transitions between providers and offers providers resources for training and technical support. Memo available here.
Questions
Assistance and questions related to a disruption can be emailed to [email protected].