Pasco expands mobile integrated health team, uses opioid-settlement and abatement funds to widen behavioral health access

Pasco County’s Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) team is expanding outreach and treatment-in-place services using opioid settlement and related abatement funds, Pasco Fire Rescue and BayCare officials said on the Pasco County podcast.

MIH supervisor Eric Monroe said the program — which has been operating for about three years — has grown to seven team members and added a nurse practitioner and vehicles with the recent funding. “The goal is to give the access to care so our team can treat in place whether it's medications or, whatever they may need medically, socially,” Monroe said. He described the team as “a team of medical professionals” that includes community paramedics, social workers and a nurse practitioner.

The expansion aims to identify people after overdose or other emergency calls, provide on-site screening and short-term support, then make a “warm handoff” to behavioral-health providers. Sonya Buffey,…