We Drove to the Moon: Ensuring Methadone Access in Rural Kentucky Through Peer Transportation

Amanda Fallin-Bennett; Trevor Moffitt; Sharon L. Walsh; Michelle Lofwall; Jennifer Miles; Clinton Underwood; Kayla Combs; Laura C. Fanucchi

doi:10.1097/ADM.0000000000001459

We Drove to the Moon: Ensuring Methadone Access in Rural Kentucky Through Peer Transportation

Amanda Fallin-Bennett, Trevor Moffitt, Sharon L. Walsh, Michelle Lofwall, Jennifer Miles, Clinton Underwood, Kayla Combs, Laura C. Fanucchi

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Methadone,. gold standard treatment for opioid use disorder, faces limited access due to federal regulations restricting its dispensing to licensed opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Transportation is. critical barrier reported by rural area residents, where the distances to OTPs are over six times farther than for urban residents. To overcome this barrier in rural Kentucky, the HEALing (Helping to End Addiction Long-termSM) Communities Study (HCS) partnered with Voices of Hope,. local recovery community organization, to develop. peer transportation program as part of the Recovery Coach Linkage and Retention Programs. The transportation program ran from 6/2021 to 12/2022 in. KY HCS counties and funded peer drivers (ie, individuals in recovery) to provide transportation to medication for opioid use disorder appointments and recovery-related services. Peer drives transported 197 participants 232, 700 miles; most (78.5%) were to. single OTP in rural Madison County, KY, over 550 days. The program was an innovative solution. Peer drivers had greater flexibility and. broader scope of work compared to traditional options like Medicaid-provided nonemergency medical transportation. Furthermore, peer drivers could transport participants in unconventional locations, as outlined in the presented case study, and build rapport with participants through sharing lived experience. Implementing similar, peer-based transportation programs is. novel solution to. critical need.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	510-511
Number of pages	2
Journal	Journal of Addiction Medicine
Volume	19
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000001459
State	Published - Oct 1 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2025 American Society of Addiction Medicine

Funding

Sources of funding: This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration through the NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative under award numbers UM1DA049394 and UM1DA049406 ( ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04111939). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or the NIH HEAL Initiative.

Funders	Funder number
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
National Institutes of Health (NIH)	UM1DA049394, NCT04111939, UM1DA049406
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Keywords

methadone
opioid-related disorders
peer support
transportation of patients

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Psychiatry and Mental health
Pharmacology (medical)

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1097/ADM.0000000000001459

Cite this

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title = "We Drove to the Moon: Ensuring Methadone Access in Rural Kentucky Through Peer Transportation",

abstract = "Methadone,. gold standard treatment for opioid use disorder, faces limited access due to federal regulations restricting its dispensing to licensed opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Transportation is. critical barrier reported by rural area residents, where the distances to OTPs are over six times farther than for urban residents. To overcome this barrier in rural Kentucky, the HEALing (Helping to End Addiction Long-termSM) Communities Study (HCS) partnered with Voices of Hope,. local recovery community organization, to develop. peer transportation program as part of the Recovery Coach Linkage and Retention Programs. The transportation program ran from 6/2021 to 12/2022 in. KY HCS counties and funded peer drivers (ie, individuals in recovery) to provide transportation to medication for opioid use disorder appointments and recovery-related services. Peer drives transported 197 participants 232, 700 miles; most (78.5\%) were to. single OTP in rural Madison County, KY, over 550 days. The program was an innovative solution. Peer drivers had greater flexibility and. broader scope of work compared to traditional options like Medicaid-provided nonemergency medical transportation. Furthermore, peer drivers could transport participants in unconventional locations, as outlined in the presented case study, and build rapport with participants through sharing lived experience. Implementing similar, peer-based transportation programs is. novel solution to. critical need.",

keywords = "methadone, opioid-related disorders, peer support, transportation of patients",

author = "Amanda Fallin-Bennett and Trevor Moffitt and Walsh, \{Sharon L.\} and Michelle Lofwall and Jennifer Miles and Clinton Underwood and Kayla Combs and Fanucchi, \{Laura C.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2025 American Society of Addiction Medicine",

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doi = "10.1097/ADM.0000000000001459",

language = "English",

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AU - Fallin-Bennett, Amanda

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AU - Walsh, Sharon L.

AU - Lofwall, Michelle

AU - Miles, Jennifer

AU - Underwood, Clinton

AU - Combs, Kayla

AU - Fanucchi, Laura C.

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AB - Methadone,. gold standard treatment for opioid use disorder, faces limited access due to federal regulations restricting its dispensing to licensed opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Transportation is. critical barrier reported by rural area residents, where the distances to OTPs are over six times farther than for urban residents. To overcome this barrier in rural Kentucky, the HEALing (Helping to End Addiction Long-termSM) Communities Study (HCS) partnered with Voices of Hope,. local recovery community organization, to develop. peer transportation program as part of the Recovery Coach Linkage and Retention Programs. The transportation program ran from 6/2021 to 12/2022 in. KY HCS counties and funded peer drivers (ie, individuals in recovery) to provide transportation to medication for opioid use disorder appointments and recovery-related services. Peer drives transported 197 participants 232, 700 miles; most (78.5%) were to. single OTP in rural Madison County, KY, over 550 days. The program was an innovative solution. Peer drivers had greater flexibility and. broader scope of work compared to traditional options like Medicaid-provided nonemergency medical transportation. Furthermore, peer drivers could transport participants in unconventional locations, as outlined in the presented case study, and build rapport with participants through sharing lived experience. Implementing similar, peer-based transportation programs is. novel solution to. critical need.

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We Drove to the Moon: Ensuring Methadone Access in Rural Kentucky Through Peer Transportation

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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