The Office Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) program based at the Adult Medicine Clinic at Harborview is undergoing an expansion. Led by Joe Merrill, MD, a UW associate professor of medicine, and funded by a State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grant (Opioid STR) administered by the Washington Department of Social and Health Services, the expansion will utilize a Hub and Spoke model to increase access to buprenorphine-induction services for the treatment of opioid addiction.

The Adult Medicine Clinic, serving as the “Hub,” is partnering with seven new “Spokes” to provide low barrier buprenorphine for high cost patients. Spokes include Evergreen Treatment Services in Renton, Country Doctor Community Clinic, Carolyn Downs Family Medicine, Harborview Mental Health Services and Integrated Medicine Clinic, Pioneer Square Clinic, and the After Care Clinic at Harborview. The project will result in new primary care capacity to treat opioid addiction, new opioid treatment capacity for South King County, and increased treatment access for homeless populations. The Opioid STR is the latest project in an ongoing collaboration between our clinical services at Harborview and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery.