WEBINAR | Connecting the Dots: Working Across the Health System to Address the Opioid Epidemic at Carilion Clinic

Robert L. Trestman, PhD, MD, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Institutional Research Officer, and Co-Chair of the Addiction Taskforce, Carilion Clinic. Carilion Clinic spans 250 miles of rural Virginia. In 2017, they faced an exploding epidemic of opioid misuse, addiction, overdose, and death. They saw it in the emergency departments, primary care offices, operating rooms, and inpatient units. Many isolated projects were already developed by individuals and small groups to address elements of this epidemic. In the fall of 2017, Carilion leadership chartered the Carilion Opioid Taskforce to develop and coordinate an orchestrated systemic response to these severe challenges. Since then, Carilion has transformed its approaches to prevention, management, treatment, and recovery from opioids. This has led to innovative collaborations and a genuine transformation in the organization’s ability to coordinate and deliver needed care.