IU researchers receive $5 million grant to enhance look after adolescents with opioid use disorder

IU School of Medicine researchers are taking steps to enhance the accessibility and quality of look after adolescents experiencing opioid use disorder (OUD) and other substance use disorders (SUDs), because of a brand new $5 million grant from the National Institute of Health’s Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) Initiative.

The grant will fund the brand new project “Workforce and System Change to Treat Adolescent Opioid Use Disorder inside Integrated Pediatric Primary Care” led by faculty from the Department of Psychiatry and Department of Pediatrics. The $5 million can be awarded across 5 years, with formative work happening in the primary 12 months before transitioning right into a clinical trial phase.

“Addressing the growing risk of overdose deaths amongst adolescents has develop into a critical concern, and Indiana unfortunately has one in every of the ten highest rates of adolescent overdose deaths in america,” said Zachary Adams, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at Indiana School of Medicine and one in every of the principal investigators of the project. “The HEAL Initiative represents a big federal investment to tackle the opioid crisis, enhance health care outcomes and combat the increasing overdose deaths amongst adolescents.

The goal of this initiative revolves around making pediatric integrated behavioral care more accessible to children and adolescents. This entails providing mental health and substance use screenings, assessments and treatment through Indiana University Health primary care clinics–in partnership with behavioral health specialists–empowering the first care system to play a pivotal role in early detection and intervention.

The project features a multi-faceted approach, including changing how pediatricians confer with their patients about substance use, implementing a case management system to make sure comprehensive look after adolescents experiencing SUD and OUD, increasing consultations between health care providers and utilizing telehealth services to achieve adolescents in need of care.

“Most children see a pediatrician on a routine basis, and while mental health care is becoming more normalized in primary care, substance use care is commonly missed or viewed as outside the scope of services that will be offered in that setting,” Adams said. “This project will allow us to check a set of strategies that will help increase the provision of substance use-related services in primary care, equivalent to standardizing screening procedures, consulting with primary care providers around treatment options, and providing transient behavioral interventions in primary care clinics.”

This approach recognizes that many adolescents who use substances would not have substance use disorders, but may profit from education and prevention resources. Adams said most adolescents experiencing substance use disorders have mild or moderate level symptoms, making them ideal candidates for shorter-term, less extensive interventions. More intensive services provided by behavioral health specialists will be reserved for teens with more severe or complex needs.

Transient, evidence-based interventions exist for adolescent substance use. Nonetheless, accessing these services are difficult, particularly in rural settings. We’re excited to work with our primary care partners to supply an array of evidence-based substance use interventions.”

Matthew Aalsma, PhD, professor of pediatrics and one in every of the principal investigators

The grant also allows for the difference of interventions developed to deal with stigma related to OUD and SUDs amongst health care providers, contributing to a comprehensive and progressive approach.

“One of the crucial crucial parts of this project is finding one of the best ways to structure and deliver care to be certain that as many Indiana teens and families can profit from effective services as possible,” Adams said.

Along with Adams and Aalsma, this initiative can be led by Leslie Hulvershorn, MD and includes collaborators who’re nationally known experts in adolescent addiction, integrated care, stigma reduction and implementation science. The project will even involve direct input and consultation from youth and caregiver advisory panels throughout the grant period.

Hulvershorn attributes the rapid and exceedingly positive response to the project from the National Institute of Health to the massive scale of the project, spanning the breadth of IU Health’s pediatric primary care footprint.

“The project guarantees to offer critical insights into essentially the most effective ways to look after adolescents with SUD, reduce stigma, and ultimately save lives. This grant continues IU School of Medicine’s commitment to the well-being of our youth, ensuring they receive the care they should overcome substance use disorders and construct healthier futures.”