Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Opioid Partnership announced a unique strategy that combines public and private funds to support innovative and evidence-based treatment programs for people with opioid use disorder.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Opioid Partnership announced a unique strategy that combines public and private funds to support innovative and evidence-based treatment programs for people with opioid use disorder. Called a “no wrong door approach,” the strategy removes the barriers to entry for those needing treatment for opioid addiction and helps them get on a path to successful recovery.
The Michigan Opioid Partnership is a public-private collaborative with a mission to decrease opioid overdoses and deaths through prevention, treatment, harm reduction and sustained recovery.
The partnership is made up of several CMF members: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation, The Jewish Fund and the Michigan Health Endowment Fund as well as the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Superior Health Foundation.
“Opioid overdoses and deaths have hurt families all over Michigan,” Whitmer said. “The number of annual opioid-related overdose deaths in the state has more than tripled since 2011, with 2,053 opioid overdoses in 2017 alone. If we’re going to tackle the opioid crisis and get Michigan families on track to recovery, we need to build strong partnerships between state government, philanthropy, and the medical community. I’m grateful for this partnership and am ready to work with this team and everyone else who wants to reduce opioid deaths here in Michigan.”
Grants announced last week will fund planning, training and coordination of treatment for opioid use disorder. The collaborative will make funds available to support the use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) which is an evidence-based treatment for opioid addition that usually includes both medication and behavioral therapy, from the first point of medical contact in a hospital or emergency room to continued treatment in a community-based program. Funds will also assist jails using a continuity of care approach focused on long-term treatment of opioid use disorder.
“The Michigan Opioid Partnership is working to support emerging ideas to help solve the opioid crisis,” Mariam Noland, president of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan said. “Serving addiction innovatively in hospital emergency rooms and in county jails can help set the foundation for what is possible across the state.”
Two hospital systems will receive grants to pilot projects designed to help change the culture in hospitals and emergency rooms to better combat the opioid epidemic. Beaumont Hospital in southeast Michigan and Munson Medical Center in Northern Lower Michigan have been selected to receive funds for pilot projects that utilize medication-assisted treatment in partnership with outpatient treatment providers.
“Hospitals have been selected based on existing institutional support, expertise, capacity and the relationships with community providers that will enable them to carry out this work,” Paul Hillegonds, CEO, Michigan Health Endowment Fund said. “Medical professionals are on the front lines of the opioid epidemic and have a key role in the state’s ability to improve addiction treatment and enhance awareness of options to those in need and to save lives.”
File:
