Pittsburgh-based entities UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care and Allegheny Health Network have each received grants to expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction among their patient populations, according to a report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Here are three things to know.
1. The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, named the UPMC center the principal partner in overseeing the use of a $5.7 million grant to expand access to medication-assisted treatment of opioid addiction. The funds will go to bolster treatment services in Blair, Clinton, Erie and Lycoming counties.
2. The gubernatorial branch of the state government funneled AHN a grant for $1 million to be used in its medication-assisted treatment program for opioid addiction. The funds are a part of the federal government's 21st Century Cures Act.
3. Danville-based Geisinger, York-based WellSpan Health and the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute in Harrisburg have also received grants to expand access to treatments for opioid addiction. Together — along with AHN — the organizations form the Pennsylvania Coordinated Medication-Assisted Treatment Program. Allegheny General Hospital will serve as the hub of the collaborative program.
"We are experiencing the deadliest drug overdose crisis in our country's history, and we know that unique and innovative approaches are critical to effectively combatting the opioid epidemic," said Mitchell West, DO, director of addiction medicine at Allegheny Health Network. "This new model of care reaches patients in the communities they live, wrapping them with a range of evidence-based therapies and services — all of which is supported by a team of leading experts in addiction medicine."
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