As part of an ongoing partnership between Whatcom County and the Swinomish Tribe’s didgʷálič Wellness Center, a new Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) opens in Bellingham on Monday to serve those struggling with addiction.
Anyone in need of services can visit the MMU weekdays from 8 a.m. to noon in the parking lot of First Baptist Church at 110 Flora St. The MMU will offer medication-assisted treatment, such as methadone and buprenorphine, on site for people with opioid use disorder after an assessment and registration.
Transportation also will be available from the parking lot to didgʷálič Wellness Center’s Division Street Clinic on Saturdays for medication. An MMU has already been up and running at Division Street since March, but Leon John, outreach coordinator at didgʷálič Wellness Center, said the new location will “be a great benefit to the people that need it most.”
The new mobile medical unit operated by didgʷálič Wellness Center outside First Baptist Church in Bellingham.
John said the Division Street location has been slowly growing, and a lot of the success of these MMUs depends on word of mouth. At the same time, he said he’ll be happy even just serving 10 or 15 people.
Bellingham City Council Member Dan Hammill said the MMUs provide “critical, life-saving services.” He said that even though overdose rates are declining, they’re not gone, making these resources even more important. Like John, he said he expects the new, centralized location will see more patients.
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“Borders, county lines — they don’t matter,” Hammill said. “What matters is people.”
There were 83 confirmed or probable overdose deaths in Whatcom County in 2024, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office. New information discussed by the Whatcom County Health Board showed that calls to 911 and emergency hospital visits for overdoses have dropped to about 2022 levels locally, in part due to the increased use of medication assisted treatment.
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These medications work by binding to the same receptors in the brain that opioids like heroin and fentanyl activate, according to research published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings without producing a high.
“The arrival of the Mobile Medical Unit downtown will offer hope for people fighting the disease of addiction and pathways to stronger connections within our community,” said Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund. “We are humbled by this gift.”
For more information about the new MMU or other services from didgʷálič Wellness Center, call 360-588-2800.
The Swinomish Tribe’s didgʷálič Wellness Center at 8212 S. March Point Road in Anacortes.
