Oregon Health And Science University Receives Grant To Expand Addiction Fellowship Program

The opioid crisis is not over, and physicians need to be prepared to meet its demand. A federal grant has been awarded to Oregon Health & Science University to help expand it’s Addiction Fellowship Program that trains physicians in addiction-related medicine.

OSHU will receive a federal grant of $2.3 million in order to expand this incredibly important fellowship program, marking the first time that any addiction medicine program has received similar federal funding. This is especially important because Oregon as a state ranks quite high in mental illness and substance abuse but has increased barriers to access for treatment options.

Mental Health American 2020 report on mental health and substance abuse prevalence ranked Oregon very high, and the latest in relevant statistics have ranked dead last in access to treatment. But these troubling statistics have come along with an understanding that there is very much a need for more addiction-medicine physicians. Programs like OHSU’s addiction fellowship were unheard of, and addiction-medicine didn’t even exist as a specialty, which means that there was significantly less understanding about how to treat addiction head-on. Many internists and family medicine doctors are integrating similar ideals and treatments into their own practices.

Here’s how this funding will work: Oregon Health & Science University will receive $450,000 per year in federal grant funding, this will continue on for the next 5 years. This funding will go to cover physician salaries as well as to pay administrators involved in this program.

Dr. George Mejicano, Senior Associate Dean for Education in the OHSU School of Medicine, had this to say about OSHU receiving these funds:

“The addiction medicine fellowship is one example of our longtime and expanding commitment to immerse and train physicians in communities across Oregon.” One of the benefits of such a program is that it attracts physicians of all kinds seeking to add this specialty to their practices, including neurologists, internists, and even anesthesiologists. All of the fellows will work in Oregon, and some former fellows have stayed in the state even after the fellowship had concluded, which contributes to Oregon’s ability to offer addiction treatment access to those who need it the most.

If you live in the state of Oregon, and you are seeking grant funding for your mental health nonprofit, you will find them here – https://oregon.grantwatch.com/cat/23/mental-health-grants.html. All other grants for the state of Oregon are located at https://oregon.grantwatch.com