Pre-Paid Phone Distribution: A Tool for Improving Healthcare Engagement for People with Substance Use Disorder.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic drove significant disruptions in access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and harm reduction services. Healthcare delivery via telemedicine has increasingly become the norm, rendering access to a phone essential for engagement in care.

Methods: Adult patients with SUD who lacked phones ( = 181) received a free, pre-paid phone during encounters with inpatient and outpatient SUD programs.