On Wednesday, April 3, Mass General Brigham partnered with Senator John C. Velis and Representative Adrian C. Madaro, co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, for a State House presentation titled, “Mass General Brigham’s Strategy on Substance Use Disorder: Centering Equity and Partnering with Communities.”
The presentation was delivered by three leading experts on substance use disorder treatment: Sarah Wakeman, MD, Senior Medical Director, Substance Use Disorder, Mass General Brigham, Gene Lambert, MD, MBA, Medical Director, Addiction Consult Service, Massachusetts General Hospital and Jasmine Irvin, Senior Project Manager of Health Equity, MGH Program in Substance Use and Addiction Services.
Dr. Wakeman and Dr. Lambert discussed the current landscape of substance use treatment in Massachusetts, along with an overview of our comprehensive efforts to expand access to high-quality substance use disorder (SUD) care. Because there is no one-size-fits-all approach, Mass General Brigham offers a spectrum of SUD care, including inpatient consult teams, Bridge Clinics, integrated SUD treatment in primary care, and perinatal SUD program, which offer patients access to a wide variety of resources and care plans. Jasmine Irvin presented Mass General Brigham’s community health strategy, with a focus on collaborations with community organizations and how they leverage Community Care Vans to “meet people where they are” in their own neighborhoods.
“Successful substance use and addiction services need to be tailored to the communities they serve. I commend Mass General Brigham for its mission to shape its high-quality substance use disorder care to meet the unique needs of individuals across Massachusetts.” said State Adrian C. Madaro (D – East Boston).
The forum is the latest in a series co-sponsored by Mass General Brigham and legislative leaders. This past year, Mass General Brigham leaders provided updates on efforts to advance health equity through the system’s United Against Racism initiative as well as child and family mental health.