For opioid addicts in Michigan, online help when no doctor is near

Originally published by Bridge

In Ann Arbor, a clinic called Workit Health has an innovative approach to addiction: Why not harness the Internet to take treatment anywhere the patient lives?

Launched in 2015 as a web-based treatment program for everything from gambling, to addiction and eating disorders, Workit Healthwas licensed in 2017 to provide medically assisted treatment and an intensive outpatient program for opioid addiction. In February, it was accredited by the Joint Commission, a national nonprofit health care accrediting organization. The firm also has another clinic in California.

“We are seeing patients from all over the state as they learn about us,” said Workit Health co-founder Lisa McLaughlin. “Some are driving here from the U.P.”

McLaughlin and co-founder Robin McIntosh, both recovering addicts, said they met in California 2009 in the recovery community, eventually deciding to apply their experience to build a treatment strategy that would harness the power of technology.

At the start, it’s like more traditional addiction treatment programs. A patient meets with a physician or nurse practitioner for a basic medical intake, and in some cases to be prescribed buprenorphine, an opioid substitute that helps to reduce craving for opioids.

Read the full story at: https://www.bridgemi.com/children-families/opioid-addicts-michigan-online-help-when-no-doctor-near