Geisinger receives $2.38 million to support patients with substance use disorder

DANVILLE, Pa. – Geisinger has been awarded $2.38 million from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to enhance care for patients with substance use disorder (SUD).
 
The funding will support the development of new fellowship programs to train advanced practice providers, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, as well as licensed clinical social workers, to provide addiction treatment in the primary care setting. 
 
“Identifying substance use disorder at the primary care level allows for earlier diagnosis, treatment or referral to specialty care, which can improve overall outcomes,” said Margaret Jarvis, M.D., chief of addiction medicine at Geisinger. “Increasing the number of trained addiction medicine providers in the primary care setting will improve access to care in the long term, which is critical for the long recovery period often associated with substance use disorder.” 
 
SUD continues to be a significant public health issue in Pennsylvania. In 2020, nearly 300,000 Pennsylvanians had a drug use disorder, and in 2022, more than 5,000 people died from a drug overdose, according to Pennsylvania’s Opioid Data Dashboard. 
 
The HRSA funding will be provided over five years. For more information about Geisinger’s addiction medicine care, visit geisinger.org/addiction-treatment.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country.  Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.