Fallon Health partnership will address addiction crisis

Fallon Health, the healthcare insurer based in Worcester, announced on Wednesday a partnership with mental health provider Eleanor Health.

The partnership aims to improve comprehensive treatment accessibility for Fallon Health members struggling with substance use disorders, with a particular focus on patients covered by Medicaid in Massachusetts, according to a release from Fallon Health. 

Fallon’s Medicaid members will gain access to medications for substance use disorders, psychiatry and mental health care, and therapy through the program. 

Worcester County had 280 opioid-related deaths in 2020, over three times the number of opioid-related deaths in 2010, according to date from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Kaiser Family Foundation reported Massachusetts’ opioid overdose death rate was nearly double the national average in 2019.

Eleanor Health is Waltham-based comprehensive healthcare service for mental health and addiction. It offers therapy, counseling, addiction treatment, and outpatient rehabilitation. 

Fallon Health is the fifth largest health insurer in Massachusetts with more than 173,000 members in 2020.