Stomping through stubborn, crunchy January snow, Dr. Jennifer Pierce made her way recently to a new Anchorage Fire Department vehicle. It might look like a simple SUV, but it’s equipped as a new mobile unit that – for the first time – will allow emergency responders to administer buprenorphine on-site, which can help get patients on the road to recovery.
“We want people to see us as a beacon of help,” Pierce said.
Pierce is on a mission: to treat Anchorage residents who overdose and connect them with care afterwards. After being treated for an overdose, many patients don’t agree to further treatment at the hospital or emergency room. Working out of mobile units allows the team to meet those Alaskans where they are…