Center for Addiction Treatment

Joe Weethee, Summer 2016

Coming into this experience what knowledge I had about addiction mostly came from the news. In the last few years there has been a dramatic increase in opioid use and in particular it is caused by an increase in heroin use. Possibly the only good thing to come out of this situation is the national spotlight that is shining on addiction. Towards the end of the summer Senator Rob Portman came to CAT to talk to patients and providers about new legislation which has many pieces that allow providers to better serve this population. The more we talk about this issue the more the stigma that surrounds addiction will fade.

Construction on the newest addition to CAT began at the beginning of the summer. This new facility will house all of the outpatient services which will free up more space for inpatient detox in the current building. The building will also house a brand new primary care clinic which will mainly be used by current patients as well as alumni of CAT. Because primary care is a new venture for CAT they wanted us to look at models for integration of primary care with substance use treatment. We conducted a literature review to identify examples of integrated care as well as describe the models of integration they were utilizing. By the end of the summer I learned a lot about addiction treatment as well as the business and administrative aspects of health care. I also had the opportunity to observe all points of care CAT provides from inpatient detox to medication assisted treatment clinic.

To say the least this was an eye-opening summer. Addiction affects people from all walks of life and it takes a toll not only on the individual but also on family, friends and the greater community. My hope is that I can take what I've learned this summer and use it to reduce stigma and educate others. Addiction is important to understand for anyone, especially a physician. I know the experiences I've had will always stay with me and help me to become a well-rounded physician.