After just six months, an opioid treatment program on an island off the coast of Cape Cod has closed for lack of funding.
ARCHIVES: Treatment Island: Addicts Are Sent To Recover Off The Coast Of Cape Cod
The Children’s Study Home, based in Springfield, hoped the isolation and beauty of an electricity-free island would help young men with addiction re-evaluate their choices.
The nonprofit launched the program on Penikese Island in August, but after spending almost $150,000 on six clients, director Jennifer Smith said, it was unsustainable.
“The very thing that makes it so special, makes it incredibly difficult, in terms of funding,” Smith said. “Because it’s small and specialized and on an island, it’s expensive.”
Smith said the program was not licensed to take insurance and failed to win a state public health contract.
She said they had counted on fundraising by the board that oversees Penikese island. As of Friday, the board president did not return emails requesting comment.
The board’s website says “funding sources failed to meet the projections of the program operator” and that a new program will be announced soon.
Smith said the Children’s Study Home hopes eventually to revive the treatment model in another secluded– but inland — setting.