A brief report on rapid access to medication assisted treatment

Daniel Baslock, Barbara Gramuglia, Alice Spirito, Javad Mashkuri, Victoria Stanhope

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This report describes Rapid Access to Medication Assisted Therapy (RAM), an innovative, cross-system intervention, piloted in Central Vermont to address the opioid overdose epidemic, building on emergency department buprenorphine induction, and a Hub and Spoke delivery system. RAM utilizes transdisciplinary case coordination to facilitate integration among independent service providers and peer supports addressing the opioid overdose crisis in a rural area. Adopting a transdisciplinary process to guide interprofessional collaboration, RAM team members share professional duties across institutional and professional hierarchies and traditional roles. These shifts in professional orientation increase team capacity to provide care coordination and remove barriers to treatment. While care coordination traditionally rests in the social work domain, RAM distributes these tasks among members of each profession. RAM exemplifies the strength of transdisciplinary collaboration and highlights the leadership role social work can play in implementing systems navigation and care coordination.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)494-501
Number of pages8
JournalSocial Work in Mental Health
Volume19
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Keywords

  • Rural
  • integrated healthcare
  • medications for opioid use disorder
  • opioid agonist therapy
  • service coordination

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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