Cooper Norcross Health is bringing specialized addiction treatment directly to neighborhood streets with the launch of its new Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) Program.
Backed by a $500,000 grant from the State of New Jersey, the initiative deploys two specialized care teams—each pairing an MIH paramedic with a community outreach coordinator. Operating seven days a week, the teams provide community-based care for individuals with substance use disorder, offering medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), harm-reduction support, and direct care coordination.
The program is designed to bridge gaps in traditional healthcare by engaging patients in high-need areas across Camden. Services are accessible through multiple entry points, including 911 overdose responses, hospital discharges, community referrals, and direct street outreach.
When encountering patients in the field, specially trained paramedics can conduct on-site clinical assessments and initiate treatments such as buprenorphine. The mobile units also leverage telehealth technology to connect patients in real-time with Cooper Norcross Health providers, streamlining prescriptions, follow-up appointments, and transportation.
“This program allows us to meet patients where they are, both geographically and in their recovery journey,” Dr. Rachel Haroz, center head of Cooper’s Center for Healing said. “By bringing care directly into the community, we can reduce barriers, prevent overdoses, and build meaningful connections that support long-term recovery.”
Beyond addiction treatment, the MIH teams address broader health and social needs by providing wound care, infectious disease treatment, overdose prevention education, naloxone distribution, and connections to essential resources like housing and food.
The new mobile program extends Cooper EMS’s pioneering history in prehospital addiction treatment. In 2019, Cooper EMS became the first agency in the nation to carry buprenorphine on its Mobile Intensive Care Unit ambulances to treat patients experiencing acute withdrawal. Earlier this year, the system further innovated by becoming the first in the U.S. to carry and administer long-acting injectable buprenorphine in ambulances.
“Our paramedics are often among the first health care professionals to encounter people experiencing addiction or other complex health needs,” Dr. Gerard Carroll, EMS medical director and division head of EMS and Disaster Medicine, said. “By bringing clinical care and ongoing support into the community, we have an opportunity to engage people earlier, reduce barriers to treatment, and help connect them with the resources they need.”
Initially funded for a one-year pilot, the MIH program operates with the potential for extension based on ongoing outcomes and future support.
