Members of the REACH Program Multidisciplinary Team at weekly case conference.
David Rivers, was dealing with addiction, medical issues, and other personal challenges when he found the REACH program at The Mount Sinai Hospital. It had been a 10-year cycle of trying to find his way, but he discovered the path to turning his life around through REACH. “They do it all, and then some,” he says. “Importantly, everyone at the program shows genuine concern for you, from the secretaries to the doctors in charge.”
The Respectful and Equitable Access to Comprehensive Healthcare (REACH) Program provides a patient-centered, harm-reduction approach to primary care for people who use alcohol and other drugs, and for people living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Located within The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Internal Medicine Associates, REACH offers comprehensive primary care services, including office-based buprenorphine treatment, stigma-free risk reduction counseling, HCV treatment, overdose response training, integrated behavioral health care, and support groups.
Jeffrey Weiss, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, and Director of the REACH Program says that offering these services can change how patients with substance use disorders perceive healthcare. “People who use drugs have very often had predominantly negative experiences accessing health care and are very reluctant to do so, “ he explains. “Our goal is to provide a positive experience grounded in respect, harm reduction principles, and health equity which can start to reset this negative attitude toward health care and lead to successful engagement with our multidisciplinary team of health care professionals.”
Andres Santiago, sober for three years, says REACH is very different from other medical facilities and physicians he has turned to in the past. “Thank God for them,” he says of his providers. “The services went beyond my physical health; they even included my wife so she could be involved with solutions to problems. There is nothing they can’t figure out.”
Merlene Baker is especially grateful for the respect she receives from the REACH team. “They take time with you,” she explains. “It is a two-way conversation. I feel comfortable that I can open up and talk freely. And I feel like what I say has value. They truly care about me, and I trust them with my life.”
Andres and David speak with one voice when it comes to recommending the program to others. “If I were asked about the program by a stranger,” says Andres, “I would say you will not regret your decision.” And David says, “It changed my life. That says it all.”