Rx Summit 2022

Lessons From Oklahoma's Opioid Settlement: Providing Treatment, Advancing Research, and Distributing Free Buprenorphine

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

2:15 PM – 3:30 PM ET

Location: Grand Ballroom ED

Presenter(s)

Ann Kraft, MS, MBA

Executive Director / Head of Strategic Partnerships
Oklahoma State University, Center for Health Sciences
Oklahoma State University / Center for Health Sciences
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jason Beaman, DO, MS, MPH, FAPA

Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma State University
tulsa, Oklahoma

Moderator(s)

Matt Niehaus

Principal
McCarthy Strategic Solutions
Frankfort, Kentucky

The National Center for Wellness and Recovery (NCWR) was established in 2017 to combat opioid addiction through treatment and preventative measures. The state of Oklahoma, a rural state with a diverse, indigenous population, was hit hard by the opioid epidemic with an annual opioid prescription rate of 127 scripts per 100 people in 2012 and an opioid death toll of 531 or 13.9 deaths per 100,000 population.

Following a historic settlement with Purdue Pharma, the state of Oklahoma provided a nearly $200 million endowment to the NCWR. The NCWR has used the resources to address the opioid epidemic in a multi-pronged approach. Highlights include:

Treatment ― Expansion of comprehensive treatment for patients including medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), psychotherapy, and virtual clinics, and distribution of donated buprenorphine tablets for treatment of OUD.
Research ― Significant investment in research, such as establishment of a pain center of excellence including new research labs; additional faculty dedicated to innovative, non-addictive pain research; and state of the art fMRI machine conducting neurological brain research related to pain and addiction.
Education ― Education offered to physicians, lawyers, families, and patients to promote safe prescribing and combat illicit opioid usage.
Policy ― Actively working with the governor’s cabinet to offer programs and legislation that prevent substance use disorder.

This session will explain how cross-functional collaboration is providing treatment to current patients and researching preventative measure to avoid future addiction. Presenters will discuss how the different areas of the NCWR work together to combat addiction across the state.

Learning Objectives:

Describe how the state of Oklahoma is leveraging settlement funds to advance treatment and research
Describe the challenges and potential solutions for distribution of donated buprenorphine product for OUD patients
Identify the elements and programs required to successfully treat a rural, indigenous population for OUD