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Emergency Medicine News on MATTERS

By July 20, 2023May 21st, 2025No Comments

Thank you to Emergency Medicine News for highlighting our program in your newsletter!

Read an excerpt from the July 2023 publication on this page, or click the button below to view our 2022 Emergency Medicine News article.

External News

MATTERS Expands to Vending Machines

By: Joshua Lynch, DO, FACEP & Lucy Connery, MPH

The MATTERS Network has launched a new harm reduction service that allows individuals and organizations across New York State to request harm reduction supplies and training free of charge.

The MATTERS (Medication for Addiction Treatment and Electronic Referral) strategies include the distribution of fentanyl and xylazine test strips and naloxone (Narcan), and the network is planning to add safe injection supplies to its services. MATTERS has distributed more than 550,000 fentanyl test strips across New York State. MATTERS will also deploy 15 harm reduction vending machines across New York State that will be stocked with the fentanyl and xylazine test trips and Narcan to promote effective harm reduction efforts further. All supplies from the vending machines will be accessible at no cost.

MATTERS was created in 2016 to refer individuals with opioid use disorder from emergency departments to long-term treatment efficiently, with a focus on linking to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).  It has grown into a statewide program that efficiently links individuals with substance use and mental health disorders to the treatment organization of their choice.

MATTERS has expanded its referral network to facilitate referrals from any location including emergency departments, community outreach organizations, dental offices, correctional facilities, or the scene of 911 calls. Today, the MATTERS Network is made up of more than 185 referral sites, 240 treatment organizations, and 1000 pharmacies. Regardless of where a referral takes place, all referred individuals are linked to high-quality treatment and support services to address common barriers to treatment.

MATTERS has two voucher programs that focus on eliminating barriers to care that patients may face. The medication voucher program offers all uninsured individuals a voucher to cover the cost of a 14-day buprenorphine prescription. The voucher is accepted at all Walgreens, Wegmans, CVS, and Duane Reade pharmacies, along with many privately owned pharmacies in New York State.

The MATTERS referral platform also automatically issues free transportation vouchers to all referred individuals. The voucher covers a roundtrip ride to an individual’s first clinic appointment through Uber Health. All those referred can also opt in to a referral at a local peer support organization. All of these services are embedded into the referral platform and require no additional steps; referrals are completed in three to five minutes and require no phone calls.

To read the rest of the article, visit the Emergency Medicine News website.

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