Treating an opioid epidemic during the coronavirus pandemic: University Hospitals pivots peer-support program to telehealth

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Back in March, University Hospitals was on the verge of rolling out a peer-support program at UH Parma Medical Center, where people recovering from opioid addiction could offer guidance to patients with substance use disorder. Then the coronavirus pandemic struck.

The hospital system suddenly faced a question health care providers across the U.S. have been dealing with throughout the COVID-19 crisis: How do you continue treating the opioid epidemic during a global pandemic?