ADDRESSING ADDICTION OSU Medicine's National Center for Wellness & Recovery takes a broad approach to solving the opioid crisis
T
he nationwide opioid crisis has definitely made it to Oklahoma — and the National Center for Wellness & Recovery at OSU Medicine is leading the battle against it. A look at the numbers: In 2017, Oklahoma was one of the top opioidprescribing states, with 88.1 prescriptions written per 100 people. More than 3,000 Oklahomans died from drug overdoses from 2015-2018. Oklahoma leads the nation in nonmedical use of prescription pain medicine among people aged 12 or older, based on a 2017 study completed by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Addiction to prescription opioid medications is widespread — crossing race, education, age, gender, levels of education and economic classes. Too often, promising lives are caught in the grip of addiction. Doctors now know that addiction is not a lifestyle choice but a chronic brain disease, caused by a confluence of genetic, biological, behavioral and social factors. When once we thought detox and in-patient medical care were required, now we have pharmacological treatments to take the place of detox for opioids and strong outpatient medical systems with recovery support and management that allow health care systems to offer excellent care for more of the population.
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Although we have made great strides in understanding the science of addiction, more research is needed to improve treatment results and to prevent addiction altogether. In November 2017, OSU Medicine President Kayse Shrum, D.O., established the National Center for Wellness & Recovery at OSU Medicine to address the opioid epidemic. Its mission is to improve lives affected by pain and substance use disorders through clinical services, training, research and advocacy. The center aims to promote collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to prevention, care, education, research and public policy associated with the study, treatment and public understanding of pain and substance use and misuse. “Without evidence to support our practices, we could not train providers to treat addiction,” said Julie Croff, Ph.D., executive director of the center. “Research is necessary to inform our clinical services, training and advocacy initiatives.” In order to address addiction, the center employs several overlapping, intersectional models of research. First, it’s engaged in translational research, which involves the use of cellular and animal models to inform human subjects research. Second, the center is engaged in innovative research across the life course, including multigenerational approaches. Third, it engages in research across the ecological levels of influence from individual level to community.
STORY VICTORIA HUI HOLLOMAN | PHOTOS iSTOCKPHOTO.COM AND OSU MEDICINE