Our Mission is to…
Find better solutions: improve the selection, use and validation of novel technical tools into addiction treatment care delivery
Share what we learn: document and share results to help guide widespread implementation of novel tools
Embed sustainable capabilities as we go: Build innovation capabilities in addiction services by overcoming barriers to integrate technology in the space and working directly with treatment providers
Through this model, we aim to improve the long term wellbeing of patients with substance use disorder.
Why We Do This
Ohio has the second highest rate of deaths attributed to Opioid related overdoses. Even more, Drug related overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. After a confluence of skewed perceptions of opioid pill potency, the over-prescription of pills, and targeted drug trafficking, the USA, and especially the Midwest/New England have been experiencing disproportionate rates of drug overdose rates. We believe solutions lie at the intersection of addiction treatment, innovation, and policy change.
Several barriers exist that prevent the integration of innovative tech into treatment - entrepreneurship is difficult in addiction services for these reasons:
It’s hard to track data on the costs and outcomes of addiction services, especially payment models.
Most funding sources that would scale innovative technology across treatment centers prioritize larger and easier to access markets.
It’s difficult to find the right provider partners because of how they are fragmented and scattered. 80% of providers in the USA are single site.
Traditional funding sources (venture capital) for innovative, tech-enabled solutions that have the potential to scale effective treatment do not typically have models that account for the complexities of public challenges like opioid addiction.
Addiction services has largely separate systems for treatment delivery, funding, and data collection, making innovation in the market difficult. Further, there are many regulatory barriers that impede the actual implementation of technology. In turn, current funding levels for direct services are low, and technical capabilities lag behind in a time when they are needed more than ever.