Anti-Black racism and other forms of discrimination are an ongoing threat to physical and mental health and are associated with anxiety, depression, substance use disorders and other life-threatening consequences. UVM CORA affirms our commitment to ensuring equitable opportunities for those who have experienced disadvantages and injustices related to race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, social position, socioeconomic status, age, or ability. This commitment includes working with communities on what matters to them and building relationships with those that experience the greatest inequities. We will create opportunities for staff and partners to learn as well as assess beliefs and systems, fostering a workplace culture that reflects diversity and values people's life experiences, monitoring and analyzing data to help understand disparities and where we can improve, and continuing to ask questions that help us to create meaningful change.

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Our Services

Science-Based Solutions for the Problems of Addiction

CORA faculty and staff provide a broad menu of science-based solutions to help you treat patients with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), other Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), and co-occurring issues. We can help your practice adopt and implement new approaches by providing:

  • Hands-on support from mobile teams of CORA staff who travel to your rural practice
  • Remote support via web-based, telemedicine, IVR and phone platforms
  • Workshops, seminars, webinars & customized curricula with CME credits

We offer resources and support for assessing and treating OUD, including:

Pharmacotherapies

We provide protocols and consultation services via in-person, online and telehealth platforms to support the successful delivery of evidence-based pharmacotherapies for treating OUD. This includes support with:

  • Buprenorphine and methadone induction, maintenance and taper regimens
  • Evaluating opioid agonist and withdrawal effects
  • Naltrexone induction and maintenance
  • Sustained-release medications (e.g., 1- and 6-month buprenorphine formulations, monthly naltrexone)

Clinical Support Aids

We can help you choose and implement the resources to support your patients’ treatment adherence, outcomes, and retention. We will provide the below resources, hardware and/or software, bring these to your practice, and provide hands-on support with their initial implementation and ongoing use.

  • Evidence-based assessments for evaluating patient OUD severity and/or treatment needs (e.g., Addiction Severity Index, UVM Treatment Needs Questionnaire) via paper, iPad and/or web-based platforms
  • Computerized portable medication dispensers that securely store patients’ medication for up to 28 days and release each day’s dose at a staff-programmed time. Locks and alarms prevent tampering or access to medication outside the pre-set time.
  • Automated clinic systems for conducting random call-backs for medication adherence using an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) phone system
  • Biochemical monitoring of patients’ recent drug use (e.g., urine toxicology testing, breathalyzer)

Behavioral Therapies

We will help your team identify, customize and implement evidence-based therapies for supporting your patients’ abstinence and clinical engagement, such as:

  • Community Reinforcement Approach, a form of behavior therapy aimed at improving family relations, learn a variety of skills to minimize drug use, receive vocational counseling, and develop new recreational activities and social networks
  • Incentive-based behavioral interventions tailored to support the patient outcomes you need (e.g., medication adherence, counseling attendance, retention)

Professional Support

We provide consultation, coaching and hands-on support across a wide range of areas and platforms to any professionals seeking information, training & resources in science-based methods.

  • In-person/one-on-one consultation and coaching with our Clinician Advisory Board members, who are community providers with deep expertise in treating complex patients with OUD, SUDs and other co-occurring issues
  • Support via web-based, telemedicine (e.g., Project Echo) and phone platforms, expert-led seminars and curricula with CME credits available
  • Financial incentives for completion of buprenorphine waiver training
  • A provider scholarship program to facilitate hands-on training at UVM in science-based practices for addiction

Harm Reduction

We supply resources for reducing the individual and public health consequences associated with OUD.

  • Free doses of intranasal naloxone (Narcan) and instructions on its use
  • Free fentanyl detection strips and training in their use
  • iPads pre-loaded with self-administered knowledge assessments and educational modules about evidence-supported HIV, Hepatitis C, and overdose-prevention. Can be used by patients while waiting for appointments.
  • In-person consultations with pharmacists to update your team’s prescribing and medication safety protocols

Treatment Capacity

We provide consultation, technical assistance, and ongoing support to help providers and policymakers interested in new or expanded models of care.

  • Hub-and-spoke OUD treatment model
  • Low-barrier and/or interim buprenorphine treatment
  • Buprenorphine initiation in emergency department settings
  • Mentorship, support and incentives for providers interested in becoming waivered
  • Peer support and consultation for providers and staff managing complex patients

The above menu is not exhaustive. If you don’t see what you are looking for, reach out to us at [email protected] with your specific needs and questions!

Stay Informed