Detroit, MI
Detroit Opioid Quick Response Team on the call to help those struggling with drug addiction
Team helping Metro Detroit residents struggling with drug addiction
Members of the Detroit Opioid Quick Response Team check in on Carol Bowie, one of the patients they’ve been working with who says she’s been struggling to kick heroin, something used to treat her pain.
430 people in Detroit died from opioid overdoses in 2023, and the Detroit Opioid Quick Response Team has been working hard to reduce the statistics. They’ve only been up and running for about three months now.
On Thursday, members went around making some house calls, checking in on the patients they’ve been working with, including a woman named Carol Bowie, who says she’s been struggling to kick heroin, which she uses to help treat her pain.
“I have a heart condition and kidney failure, but they have come over regularly and checked on me and try to, you know, help me not use anymore, and that’s my main goal,” Bowie said.
It’s been a little over three months since the Quick Response Team got up and running, putting boots on the ground to help those harmed by the scourge of addiction.
Now they’re talking about the gains they’ve made in the name of saving lives.
“Well, it’s really busy. We’re obviously touching a very vulnerable population,” said Executive Director Linda Davis. “We’ve made over 800 calls during that period of time.”
They have connected nearly 50 people to help with the number of resources available.
“Either getting them to an in-patient treatment, outpatient treatment, connecting them with a peer recovery coach that’s able to help them navigate recovery within their community, so there’s multiple parts to that,” said Davis.
The team took FOX 2 behind the scenes, showing us how they approach their daily work.
“Our day looks like going to visit our high priorities first – people who came in with an OD, within the last two days,” said Thomas Hunter with the Detroit Opioid Quick Response Team. “And we’ll follow up to see if we can offer them services.”
EMTs say the rapid response operation has been a big help to them given the limited resources they can offer when it comes to major addiction struggles and the frustration of seeing the same patients over and over again on overdose calls.
“We had identified a clear gap, particularly in patients that had an overdose, interacted with EMS and then refused to seek any further care,” said Detroit Medical Director Robert Dunne. “They wouldn’t go to the hospital, and we didn’t really have any other options for those patients, so that was one of the first things that we identified and what we’re doing now is getting this quick response team in front of those patients so they can get cared for.”
It’s that first connection that can lead to long-term change.
“A conversation is the beginning of recovery,” said Davis. “If you can have a positive conversation with someone, they’re willing to listen, that can be the first step to recovery.”
For Carol, she’s well on her way to the right support.
“They help me to get to my doctors on my phone because I didn’t know how to do that,” Bowie said. “They come and check on me all the time, mostly.”
Those on the team say so far, they’ve connected around 50 people with resources to help with their addictions. They prioritize those who have had recent overdoses.