A Pilot Program Focusing on Perceptions and Acceptance of an Intervention on Medication-Assisted Treatments for Recovery Home Residents

This brief report describes the first time a recovery home organization has both developed and evaluated an educational workshop aimed at encouraging the use of medication-assisted treatments (MATs) and NARCAN (naloxone) to prevent/reduce opioid overdoses. The one-hour program involving the use, misuse, and recovery potential of MATs and the opioid overdose reversal properties of NARCAN occurred for Oxford House residents who participated in 2019 (N = 522) and in 2021 (N = 887). Post-intervention ratings indicated that resident ratings indicated that recovery home residents acknowledged that they were able to recognize and reverse an opioid overdose, properly administer naloxone, and potentially save the life of someone who is overdosing on opioids. The findings suggest that this program might be effectively administered in recovery homes, and future studies will need to determine if the program is able to change attitudes and behaviors of residents.