TOLEDO, OHIO, October 6, 2021 –Zepf Center received the MATTER Grant, a grant to expand medication assisted treatment (MAT). The MATTER Project will target 100 unduplicated individuals in need of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) in Year One, with a total of 580 individuals served over the five-year grant period.

 This project will be an OBOT (Office-Based Opioid Treatment Program) and will be housed within Zepf Center’s offices in Toledo’s Junction Neighborhood. Expansion to this area represents the fulfillment of an unmet need in a part of town that lacks access to MAT services. The Junction Neighborhood (zip code 43607) is home to 20,854 people, 66.3% of whom are Black, 24.2% are White, and 5.2% are Hispanic or Latino.

 Zepf recognizes the health disparities that are present in this neighborhood and the toll that years of divestment have taken. As such, placing the MATTER project in this neighborhood will promote MAT access for one of Toledo’s neediest neighborhoods. While the primary population of focus will be this neighborhood, the MATTER project will provide services to individuals throughout Northwest Ohio. This project will be an OBOT (Office – Based Opioid Treatment Program) and will be housed within Zepf Center’s Nebraska Ave. and Central Ave. locations.

Zepf Center CEO, Deb Flores, says “Zepf Center has been delivering clinical quality MAT services for years and is a leader in the community. By expanding access to care, this project will benefit a population that needs treatment options to ensure a path to recovery.”

For more information on the event, please contact Zepf Center Marketing Manager, Caitlyn Stuart at [email protected] .