Paterson, USA

Improving access to critical opioid treatment

Winner of the 2021 Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Mayors Challenge, the US city of Paterson, New Jersey is working to address the more than 1,700 opioid-related overdoses that occur each year in the city. Residents experiencing opioid-use disorder face myriad barriers to adequate support. Paterson’s RealFix program works to break down those barriers, offering prescriptions to clients for medically-assisted treatment within 90 minutes to counteract withdrawal and begin the road to recovery, even for those residents who do not have identification, legal status, health insurance, or a way to pay.