Family and Addiction Physician
Stratis Health, CentraCare
University of Minnesota
Little Falls, MN
Drs. Heather Bell and Kurt DeVine initially began their careers as rural primary care physicians. With the surge in opioid prescribing and the mounting opioid epidemic, in 2015 they began an opioid stewardship program through state funding that has since led to pilot programs in 12 additional Minnesota communities. Funding through the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) enabled these communities to focus efforts on appropriate opioid prescribing and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment with technical assistance provided by Drs. Bell and DeVine. After notable success in their local programs, The Department of Human Services (DHS) provided funding for Drs. Bell and DeVine to facilitate a ProjectECHO, telehealth weekly teaching program, focused on opioid prescribing and addiction topics, now into its 4th year. The ECHO program, over time, grew to include programs for medical students, physician assistant students, and even COVID! Their passion in this field led them both to pursue an additional board certification in Addiction Medicine. Their work has led to recognition, most notably, the American Hospital Association (AHA) Nova Award, the 2020 Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) Presidents Award and, recently, they were named Minnesota Academy for Family Physicians (MAFP) Family Physicians of the year for 2021. For fun, they also co-host a podcast on addiction topics, “The Addiction Connection.”
I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
11:15 AM – 12:30 PM ET