The UW Psychiatric and Addictions Case Conference (UW PACC) series began on July 7, 2016. This weekly videoconference series, led by addiction psychiatrists Mark Duncan, MD, and Rick Ries, MD, and with new panelist clinical psychologist Kari Stephens, PhD, is designed to train the Integrated Care fellows to deliver a regional peer learning and support network for treating mental health and addictions. In addition, the program offers telehealth resource support to build the confidence and skills of providers (especially primary care) who care for these often complex patients. Since its inception, 157 individuals have participated from 15 counties in Washington, totaling 1,211 hours of training. A total of 36 challenging cases have been presented by 24 providers, allowing the provider to receive feedback on the case from other participants, including our expert panel.

The program is having an immediate impact. One participant calls UW PACC an “incredible resource to any rural health care provider” and another notes the benefit of collaboration with not only the UW psychiatric experts, but with fellow providers as well. Amy Burns, MD, Psychiatry Clinic Director at Spokane Teaching Health Clinic, says she prescribed intra nasal Narcan (naloxone) to all her high-risk patients after learning about it in a UW PACC session. She continues, “Last week, one of my patients relayed that he saved his friend’s life with the Narcan! The info that I got from UW PACC is hitting the streets of Spokane, WA and saving lives. Bravo. Together, we are a great team.”