The Dearborn-based social services agency ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) is expanding its substance abuse treatment and prevention services in the coming year.
Mona Hijazi, who leads the ACCESS Substance Abuse Program, said that the ultimate aim is to help get people into recovery — but they know not everyone is ready to do that at any given time.
Thus, the program has a harm reduction orientation across the board. That means the group distributes the opioid-overdose reversal drug naloxone — often known by the brand name Narcan — focusing on known overdose hotspots like motels and gas stations, as well as providing it in the agency’s own centers.
But Hijazi said the group goes beyond that, in an effort to meet people with substance use disorders where they’re at. “We also, with our Narcan kits, provide them with fentanyl test strips and other harm reduction items,” she said. “Because the reality is that not everybody is ready to get help right away.”
Hijazi said another goal is to shift away from assigning blame, and toward getting people with substance use disorders the help they need. “And the other thing that has just been super, super successful for us is the meeting people where they're at,” she said.
Hijazi said that means going out into the community where people are comfortable meeting them, and also offering culturally-competent care to Arab-American communities.
ACCESS also just broke ground on a new inpatient substance abuse treatment facility. An official opening date for the facility has not yet been set.
