A five-year, $7.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIHHelping )’s End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) program has been given to researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
To address the national opioid and pain public health concerns, the NIH HEAL initiative was established and started in 2018. The financing is a part of the HEAL Data 2 Action (HD2A) program, which aims to use real-time data to direct actions and alter processes in order to decrease overdoses and enhance the management of pain and opioid use disorders.
Researchers will establish a data infrastructure support center with grant funding to help HD2A innovation projects at other institutions across the nation. These innovative projects aim to fill four gaps: harm reduction, preventive.
Researchers will be able to spot trends and gaps in care delivery in local communities by tracking opioid overdoses in real time.
Adams stated that “we will gather and evaluate data that will inform preventative and treatment services.” To quickly provide solutions, we are changing how chronic pain and opioid management are handled in communities.
The center will also create informational materials, instruction, and training regarding drug usage, pain management, and the decrease in opioid overdoses.
The CDC reports that drug overdose deaths increased in the United States by 29% in 2020, and that an opioid was a factor in almost 75% of those deaths.
Given the severity of the opioid crisis, which the COVID-19 epidemic further increased, it’s critical that we advance and develop
