Substance use disorder (SUD) startup Bicycle Health has joined forces with medical provider Wellpath and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) on a new partnership to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) at reentry centers.
As part of the deal, Bicycle Health will provide its virtual medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program to individuals living in FBOP’s Reentry Centers. Wellpath and Bicycle Health will work with formerly incarcerated patients in 42 states to help them get on a treatment plan.
SUD and overdose deaths are higher in the formerly incarcerated population than in the general public. In fact, in the two weeks after leaving incarceration, individuals are 40 times more likely to die from an opioid overdose than the general public.
Individuals enrolled in the program will have access to Bicycle’s telehealth visits, medication management, peer support groups, psychotherapy and in-home diagnostic testing.
“Nearly one-in-five incarcerated people struggle with opioid use disorder, and unfortunately, opioid-related overdose is the leading cause of death for those released from jail or prison,” Justin Guadagno, chief commercial officer at Bicycle Health, said in a statement. “Our collaboration with Wellpath creates an entirely new, scalable approach to rehabilitation that will give people a fighting chance to achieve long-term recovery when they re-enter society.”
Boston-based Bicycle Health has caught major investor attention with its virtual MAT program for OUD. In June, it closed a $50 million Series B funding round, bringing its total raise to $83 million.
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