The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is taking new action on the opioid crisis with the launch of a program that expands access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The program, ScalaNW, equips emergency room clinicians with tools to treat patients for opioid use disorder (OUD) and connect them to community-based care.

ScalaNW is designed to equip ER clinicians with the knowledge and skills they need to treat patients with OUD. The program website, ScalaNW.org, offers evidence-backed protocols for clinicians to determine how and when to provide MOUD and collaborates with the UW Psychiatry Consultation Line (PCL) to offer 24/7 live clinical support. While the PCL team has always included addiction psychiatrists and consulted on substance use disorder, this additional attention to MOUD will help meet the growing need to support providers on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic in Washington. Learn more