Heather
Blue,
PharmD
Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
Dr. Heather Blue is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy- Duluth campus. She completed her PharmD at the University of Minnesota and after a PGY1 residency, she worked as clinical pharmacist at Mercy Hospital-part of the Allina Health System. Her current research is based on her clinical practice in the emergency department at St. Luke’s Hospital of Duluth, with an emphasis in opioid overdose reduction strategies and coordination of care from the emergency department for individuals with substance use disorders.
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…