A team of WSU health sciences researchers now has the resources to develop a training program for rural providers who see patients with opioid addictions.
The team has landed a $1.9 million, five-year federal grant that will allow its members to develop a treatment program and then export that to people who can most use it.
Dr. Dawn DeWitt is an associate dean for clinical education at the College of Medicine’s Spokane campus. She says the program will train small teams of health professionals and health sciences students to go to rural towns and teach providers how to treat people with addictions.
“We want to make our reach as far as possible, so that means that five of us can’t be everywhere. So we’re giving everybody their superhero clothing and saying go out there and help us address this crisis," DeWitt said.
She says this program will also give health sciences students real-life training in working with patients and providers to understand and treat addictions.
You can hear our full interview with Dawn DeWitt on Monday’s Inland Journal podcast, available via Apple Podcasts, NPR One and Google Play or at the SPR website.