Issue link: https://kusm-wichita.uberflip.com/i/1024595
11 In 2018, KUSM-W and KUMC plan to present a series on opioid use disorder, which is one of the biggest topics in medicine today and closely related to pain management. Rural areas, of which Kansas has many, are considered to be most at risk for opioid abuse. "You can read any of the statistics you like," Deckert said. "Obviously as a country we've got to think about what we are going to do and how we're going to figure out how to help people who are suffering from a substance use disorder. Project ECHO is a great step in helping patients. We make sure geography is irrelevant by bringing together so many talented, caring health care professionals, learning from each other and offering solutions to their patients." Kellerman said Warren, one of the few fellowship-trained addiction specialists in the state, "is really going to play a major role in that." Warren, who arrived at KUSM-W while the pain-management series was underway, is looking forward to taking part, noting that opioid overdose is the number-one cause of death for Americans under 50 years old. "More people die from opioids than from car accidents," he said. Warren, who previously participated in an ECHO program in Portland, Oregon, calls the approach "unbelievably helpful'' for community providers. ECHO trains primary-care clinicians to provide specialty care. This means more people can get the care they need. There aren't enough specialists to treat everyone who needs care, especially in rural and underserved communities. Patients get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. This improves outcomes and reduces costs. Just the ability to connect and get feedback or reinforcement is a wondrous event. Daniel Warren, M.D.