According to the National Governors’ Association (NGA), three states have been recently selected to participate in a new program which is designed to increase access to treatment services for substance abuse conditions like opioid use disorder using teleconsultation services.
Minnesota, South Dakota, and Virginia will all be participating in what are being called Learning Labs that utilize technology to connect members of underserved communities with medical and behavioral health professionals who are located in another geographic area. Using telecommunications technology, individuals will “meet” with primary care physicians who can remotely treat certain diseases and conditions like substance use disorders by phone or videoconference.
A model program
Representatives from each of the selected states will soon be traveling to the University of New Mexico to observe the school’s Project ECHO Integrated Addiction and Psychiatry clinic. A model for teleconferencing supports, this project serves to connect expert specialist teams to primary care providers in underserved communities with teleconsultation.
Given the success of the program, it is clear that Learning Labs can gain insight from what is happening at Project ECHO, and it is believed that what’s working at the New Mexico program can be applied to similar programs in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Virginia.
Filling the void
While, sadly, it seems that there is no segment of the United States’ population that remains untouched by the opioid epidemic, there are some risk factors that put some men and women at an increased risk for facing this deadly disease, and others that seem to serve as insulating factors.
In low population areas, poverty and isolation can often contribute to an increased risk for opioid dependence. Coupled with certain environmental factors, living in one of these areas might make one more susceptible to developing an opioid use disorder. Despite the demand for services that this scenario often creates, residents of these communities can be without any options for basic healthcare, let alone quality treatment for substance abuse.
Thankfully, with Learning Labs, residents of South Dakota and other participating states will soon have access to counseling and other supports to help them overcome the battle with opioid addiction.
Many communities that are without enough treatment professionals and medical personnel to provide vital support for chemical dependence. But Learning Labs are designed to fill that void, and to provide a framework that will facilitate an increase in the use of teleconsultation for healthcare in these underserved locales.