Stratis Health has been selected by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to lead a new series of opioids Project ECHOs (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) in Minnesota. Over the next 18 months, Stratis Health will be using the ECHO approach to increase access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder among underserved rural and urban communities and American Indian populations.

Project ECHO, designed to reduce over-prescribing prescription opiates and treat addiction, is a hub-and-spoke knowledge-sharing approach where expert teams lead virtual clinics, building their capacity to deliver high-quality care in their own communities.

“The Minnesota Department of Health reports that drug overdose deaths in 2020 rose sharply, driven in large part by an increase in synthetic opioid-involved deaths,” said Jennifer Lundblad, Stratis Health president & CEO. “Deaths due to overdoses are preventable, and we are driven to do our part to ensure the opioids Project ECHOs are easily accessible statewide, especially in the state’s underserved communities.”

There are significant opioids ECHO efforts already underway in Minnesota, and Stratis Health is committed to amplifying these efforts and filling gaps in access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT). We will engage community leaders to help shape the direction and work of these new DHS-funded opioids ECHOs.

For more information about the Stratis Health opioids Project ECHOs, contact Jean Hanvik (jhanvik@stratishealth.org).