More than 40% of Arkansas’ population lives in rural areas, many in medical deserts. The Arkansas Mobile Opioid Recovery Unit crisscrosses highways to bring medical, mental health and opioid treatment to the state’s rural patients.
Dr. Kristin Martin founded ARMOR after witnessing a rise in opioid overdoses during the pandemic. “We can provide peer recovery support, we provide a licensed mental health provider, we provide primary care and all kinds of access to resources in one stop,” she said.
I hopped on board the ARMOR truck in September and met patients who were seeking treatment for high blood pressure, depression and opioid use. Arkansas has the second-highest opioid prescription rate in the country and ranks in the top 10 states for opioid misuse.
One patient, Kim Anderson, said that before ARMOR’s deployment, she lacked the transportation to regularly receive medical care. “It’s hard when people don’t understand where you’re coming from — whether it’s for drug addiction, or anxiety, or mental health problems, or just not being able to get anywhere,” she said. “[Armor] gets it, though. They help you in any way they can.”
Since its launch in February, ARMOR has treated over 500 rural patients. Learn more about Anderson and Martin’s stories in the video above. Find out more about ARMOR’s opioid treatment here.
