East Tennessee State University has played a major role in bringing much needed funding to strengthen addiction recovery in the region.
As part of a larger coalition, including the leadership of the ETSU Addiction Science Center, three of the ten projects for which ETSU received funding from the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council were led by faculty in the College of Public Health.
These include:
- Development and Implementation of a Fentanyl Adulterated with Xylazine (FAX) Overdose Prevention and Response Education Program. This project is lead by Bill Brooks and includes Stephanie Mathis and Manik Ahuja
- Northeast Tennessee REACH (Recovery Ecosystem – Access to Care and Health). This project is led by Angela Hagaman, and includes Marissa Kluk, Michelle Donaldson and Chris Lewis.
VICTOR: Veterans Improving Connections in Tennessee for Opioid Recovery. This project is led by Manik Ahuja and includes Bill Brooks, Hadii Mamudu and David Shoham.
Dr. Robert Pack, ETSU’s Executive Vice Provost and Co-Director of the Addiction Science Center, which is housed in the College of Public Health said “While I am personally glad that our collaborative strategy for securing the funds was successful, the more important story is the significant new investment into the addiction recovery ecosystem in our region where these resources are urgently needed.”