Expanding Treatment

Opioid use disorder, like many medical conditions, disproportionally affects those with limited access to health care. The Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) and the UNC School of Medicine are working to change that.

The national Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) and Western North Carolina-based Dogwood Health Trust funded a $1 million grant to UNC Health Sciences at MAHEC to expand access to treatment for opioid use disorder. This grant will allow regional addiction medicine programs to provide education, training and technical assistance to expand office-based opioid treatment services at up to 10 community-based health centers, health departments and free clinics across the state.

“FORE and Dogwood Health Trust have made it possible for MAHEC and the University of North Carolina to expand access to evidence-based treatment for individuals who are at greatest risk for overdose — those living in rural communities and those without health insurance,” said Jeffery E. Heck, M.D., CEO of MAHEC. “We are confident this work will save many lives.”

Read the complete Carolina Story…

Related Stories

Kenan Galapagos Fellows Program Launches Fall 2024

Join the BatPack to Help Conserve Bats

A Field Guide to Small Animals