Anna
Van Deelen,
MSc
AmeriCorps VISTA Member
University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
Anna Van Deelen, MSc is an AmeriCorps VISTA member, completing a service year supporting work on capacity building and research related to treatment and support for individuals experiencing substance use disorder. Her work is related particularly to the experiences of rural and Tribal populations, and particularly supporting individuals with opioid use disorder. To that end, she is involved in a community-wide push to increase access to complete support and access to care for those experiencing opioid use disorder through interprofessional, interorganizational collaboration.
Presenting at the Nexus Summit:
In 2020, with the pandemic straining healthcare systems and opioid overdoses at an all-time high, a voice rose from within the Duluth community. There was an established foundation of treatment for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) within primary care, but local health systems lacked pathways from their emergency departments to the complete support resources available within the community.
In response, the Duluth-area OUD Collaborative was formed to address the quadruple aim of improving population health and patient experience through greater community coordination, reducing costs…