Sep 25, 2025
National Opioid Awareness Day on Sunday, Sept. 21 is more than just a date on the calendar. It’s a reminder that while Michigan has made real progress against opioid overdoses, the crisis is far from over. We have to keep going. As an anesthesiologist, a physician specializing in anesthesia, I work with some of the […]
Aug 12, 2025
University of Michigan Health-West has installed a new naloxone vending machine at its Community Clinic, located at 781 36th Street SE in Wyoming, thanks to a statewide initiative aimed at reducing preventable opioid overdose deaths. Provided by the Overdose Prevention Engagement Network (OPEN), the vending machine offers free access to naloxone, a medication that can rapidly reverse […]
Jul 22, 2025
In May of 2025, Painless: The Opioid Musical traveled up north to perform for the first time in the Upper Peninsula. The tour included 4 high school shows and 1 community performance, with more than 800 people, including 700 high school students, from Marquette and Iron counties in attendance. Painless: The Opioid Musical began as […]
Jul 11, 2025
In 2023, the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions and the Overdose Prevention Engagement Network (OPEN) partnered together to create a landscape map of Michigan and accompanying analysis that shows demographic information from 2019 with a connection to opioid use disorder, examining data such as unemployment rates, annual income, opioid-related hospitalizations, and physical and mental health […]
Jun 18, 2025
Hello, Happy summer 2025! We’re excited to connect with you and share the latest updates, helpful resources, and upcoming events designed to support your work and community. Clinicians, do you wish there was a way to “phone a friend” and get advice on working with patients who are experiencing complex pain or living with a […]
Jun 4, 2025
Key Findings In the two years before the email intervention started in 2021, surgeons overprescribed opioids about 35 to 40 percent of the time. Two types of emails to “nudge” surgeons to prescribe in ways that more closely adhere to recommendations (one based on peer behavior and one based on guideline amounts) led surgeons to […]
May 27, 2025
Michigan’s statewide effort to reduce the number of people dying from opioid overdoses has been working. A collaboration among state and county agencies, hospitals, first responders, and community non-profits across the state — along with federal money for drugs to treat overdoses and addiction — has moved Michigan from having the 13th highest number of […]
May 19, 2025
WHAT IS ADDICTION? According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is a treatable, chronic medical disease that involves complex brain circuits, genetics, the environment one lives in, and an individual’s own life experiences. When looking at the neurobiology of addiction, it is important to remember that some people who partake in drug use […]
May 13, 2025
GWINN, Mich. (WLUC) – As the opioid crisis continues, so must strategies to combat it. Speaking with teens about opioid use can be tricky. However, a group from the University of Michigan tried to reach students at Gwinn High School in a unique way. Since 2022, the University of Michigan’s School of Music program has […]
Apr 15, 2025
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the most common form of substance use disorder, affecting 29% of US adults.1,3 Unhealthy alcohol use can contribute to the development or worsening of several different medical conditions like high blood pressure, pancreatitis, and cancer.1 Unhealthy alcohol use covers a range of use from risky alcohol drinking to AUD. Defining […]
Apr 11, 2025
MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC)— A diverse team of health professionals hopes to reduce the harms of substance use through education, resource provision, and community engagement. Behavioral Health Specialist Melissa DeMarse of OPEN (Overdose Prevention Education Network) joins Tia Trudgeon on the Morning News to discuss her group’s mission and a musical it’s bringing to the U.P. […]
Apr 1, 2025
In this issue: Hep C Champion Spotlight Michigan Syringe Service Program Directory Access Free Naloxone! Save the Date: 2025 Michigan Harm Reduction Summit Free CME Hepatitis C Webinars Hepatitis C Clinical Consultation Support Click here to read the full newsletter. Originally published on April 1, 2025 by MDHHS.
