Springfield, MA
SPRINGFIELD – Congressman Richard E. Neal announced a $663,202 grant from National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to Baystate Medical Center on Tuesday. The grant comes from NIDA’s Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Program and will be used to fund the study “Drug Injection Surveillance and Care Enhancement for Rural Northern New England (DISCERNNE)”.
“The awarding of this grant comes at a time when the opioid epidemic is at the forefront of conversation in America,” said Congressman Neal. “We all know someone who is suffering from addiction and we are dedicated to finding resources to help those who are struggling. The team at Baystate will use these monies to begin an important two-phase investigation into the opioid epidemic right here in New England. I commend them for their tireless work on this critical public health and safety issue.”
Principal Investigator Dr. Peter Friedmann, Baystate’s Chief Research Officer, says that the first phase will examine the epidemiology, infectious consequences and service accessibility for persons who inject drugs in 10 rural counties adjacent to Interstate-91 in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.
“The opioid epidemic has had a devastating impact on rural areas that lack the treatment and harm reduction resources necessary to respond,” said Friedmann. “This project, along with eight sister projects in rural areas around the country, will determine the scope of the problem and advance solutions that will work in those communities.”
The second phase of this project will implement an integrated telemedicine approach to help local clinicians address opioid use disorder, infectious complications of opioid use disorder and overdose.
##
