The perceived need for buprenorphine treatment at a primary care clinic in the South Bronx: A market survey

Buprenorphine can now be prescribed by physicians to treat heroin-dependent patients in primary care settings in the United States. To gauge the perceived need for and interest in this new approach to drug treatment, we interviewed 254 clinic patients in a large South Bronx primary care setting about their interest in and perceived need for such treatment. Among these patients and their family and friends, the reported prevalence of heroin use was high (15%). While 60% of these heroin users were reported to be in some form of care, 13% had never received any treatment. Respondents also reported that 46% of the heroin users they knew "may be" and 36% would "likely be" interested in trying a new primary care-based treatment option. This level of interest in drug treatment in a primary care setting indicates an opportunity to improve access to care via buprenorphine programs in primary care settings in urban communities, like the Bronx, with high rates of untreated opiate addiction.