Time is of the essence when it comes to preventing an opioid overdose. However, time constraints seem to be the biggest barrier to getting help.

“We’ve learned that the peak time for opioid overdose is between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m., but most treatment centers in our area close at 3 p.m. for various reasons,” City of Paterson Chief Innovation Officer Ed Boze said in a statement, which noted that only 1 in 500 people in Paterson affected by opioids receives timely medication-assisted treatment, helping to fuel the nearly 1,700 overdoses the city sees annually.

To solve this problem, the city announced a partnership May 18 with Quickbase – a software provider that helps organizations see, connect and control complex projects – on a dispatch system that, in short, gets a life-saving prescription to those who need it, and quickly.

In January, NJBIZ reported that Paterson was awarded $1 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies through its Global Mayors Challenge to launch a program called RealFix, which aims to make opioid addiction treatment Suboxone more readily available via telemedicine.

“Paterson is committed to becoming a city of solutions and this award not only proves it but it will also help us save lives,” Mayor Andre Sayegh said about the funding. “We are hopeful that our innovative idea will serve as a global model for other cities who are also addressing the opioid epidemic.”

As part of the new partnership, Quickbase created a computer-managed dispatch system that addresses all aspects of prescribing Suboxone, including managing a network of telehealth call centers, facilitating consultation between patients and medical teams, managing insurance information and ensuring the medication is routed to the correct pharmacy.

Suboxone is manufactured for Indivior Inc. by Warren-based Aquestive Therapeutics, according to Aquestive’s website.

“The City of Paterson is on the frontlines fighting the opioid epidemic in our country, developing innovative ways to provide life-saving treatments to their community,” added Ed Jennings, CEO of Quickbase. “Getting treatment to those who need it, whenever they need it is essential, and the model they’ve developed will be crucial to saving lives in their community and beyond. We’re proud to have played even a small role in helping them develop their approach and win this grant.”

Boze added, “To deliver Suboxone in 90 minutes, we had to be very intentional and map out the project in great detail, and Quickbase is the perfect tool to manage the complex process.”