Thursday, December 22, 2016
Research supported by grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation
Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak is collaborating with Workit Health of Ann Arbor on a research study of an innovative digital program to enhance care for patients with substance addictions. The program combines one-on-one support from professional certified counselors with a tailored evidence-based curriculum.
The research is funded by a one-year grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation.
The Beaumont Outpatient Clinic in Royal Oak, Michigan, will be recruiting participants for a research study by systematically screening the clinic patients for risky use of drugs and alcohol. Risky is defined as using drugs and alcohol in ways that threaten public health and safety. Eligible patients will be referred to a web-based recovery support resource, which is a 30-day version of Workit’s core program which includes online exercises completed at a patient’s own pace and one-on-one chat-based life coaching adapted to each patient’s needs.
The Workit program includes 24-hour access to a licensed addiction counselor and an interactive curriculum that adapts to each participant’s evolving needs with evidence-based therapies for addictive behaviors. Interventions include cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing and self-assessment instruments. This research will focus on clinical outcomes for study participants while documenting the patient’s experience.
“Risky substance use is a serious public health threat that affects more than 25 percent of the U.S. population. Current treatment options provide fragmented, brief episodic care. Through this research, we hope to provide each patient a new approach to his/her health problem by combining all the evidence-based therapies and delivering them in real-time, through a, 24-hour, personal addiction counselor, ” said Alexandra Halalau, M.D., medical director of the Beaumont, Royal Oak Internal Medicine Clinics.
“We are committed to working with world-renowned partners and institutions to further research on our programs as well as addiction treatments at large.” said Lisa McLaughlin, Workit CEO and co-founder. “Demonstrating the effectiveness of patient-centered innovations like ours is a vital step towards improving access and accountability in substance use treatment,” continued McLaughlin.
“Substance abuse is a major issue impacting communities throughout Michigan and can lead to even more health concerns, such as both physical and behavioral health conditions,” said Nora Maloy, director of programs at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation. “The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation is proud to support the great work being done through the research on this topic by Beaumont Hospital and Workit Health.