OHSU expands its drug addiction training across the state by nearly 65 percent

The Jefferson Exchange

Oregon Health & Science Institute map of drug addiction training participation across the state of Oregon.( OHSU)

The number of Oregonians dying of drug overdoses nearly tripled over the past five years. To equip professionals in the field who engage with drug users, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) has significantly expanded the reach of its addiction training program among health care professionals and law enforcement.

The program is a partnership between the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Network and OHSU addiction medicine specialists. The model started in 2003 in New Mexico as a way of extending specialized medical training to health care professionals in rural areas. Notably, with Oregon recriminalizing possession of small amounts of illicit drugs this year, law enforcement officers and leaders participated in training related to substance use disorder.

Dr. Dan Hoover is Director of the Addiction Medicine ECHO Program and an assistant professor in the OHSU School of Medicine. Dr. Hoover joins the Exchange to discuss growing interest in the training program, especially among law enforcement agencies in counties that have agreed to provide a chance for people found in possession of illicit drugs to “deflect” from the criminal justice system into treatment.