Fundraising Initiative Will Support Innovative CATALYST Clinic

Submitted by BMC


Boston Medical Center (BMC), a leader in addiction medicine, today announced a fundraising collaboration with Walgreens to support adolescents and young adults working to overcome addiction. Funds raised through point-of-sale donations at 70 Eastern Massachusetts Walgreens locations from October 1st-15th will support the CATALYST Clinic(Center for Addiction Treatment for Adolescent/Young adults who use Substances) at BMC.

"We are proud to team up with Walgreens, an organization that has demonstrated a commitment to preventing and treating drug abuse in our community," said Norman Stein, BMC senior vice president and chief development officer. "Our addiction treatment programs have helped thousands of people work toward recovery and become national models of care. Every dollar that is raised through this program will support comprehensive care to treat and prevent substance abuse issues in young people."

Walgreens has made a national, ongoing effort to address drug addiction as a public health issue. The company began offering naloxone without requiring a prescription in all of its Massachusetts pharmacies earlier this year. Naloxone is an opioid antidote that can be used to reverse the effects of an overdose. In Massachusetts last year 1,379 people died of opioid-related overdoses. Walgreens has also installed 13 safe medication disposal kiosks in select Massachusetts stores that allow individuals to dispose of unwanted medications year-round at no cost.

When shoppers visit participating Walgreens during the first two weeks of October they will be able to make a donation of $1, $3, or $5 at the register. The CATALYST Clinic, launched earlier this year, was developed to support adolescents and young adults up to age 25 struggling with addiction in primary care. The Clinic includes a multi-disciplinary care team that offers young people and their families a wide range of services including primary care and behavioral health while providing a supportive community to aid in recovery.

"We developed the CATALYST Clinic at BMC in response to the increase in the number of young people seeking treatment for substance use disorders," said Sarah Bagley, MD, an attending physician in the departments of pediatrics and internal medicine at BMC as well as program director of the CATALYST Clinic. "Many of the adult patients we see started using substances as adolescents, and this program seeks to prevent and decrease use during those vulnerable years through age-appropriate, integrated care. This partnership with Walgreens will help more young people overcome addiction and lead productive, fulfilling lives."