News
LSU Health Clinic Chosen for National Opioid Care Program
NEW ORLEANS – The LSU Health New Orleans Integrated Health Clinic at University Medical Center New Orleans has been selected as one of only six teams nationally to participate in the American Hospital Association / Health Research and Educational Trust’s Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) / Stimulant Use Disorder (SUD) Linkage and Retention Learning Collaborative.
LSU Health – Integrated Care Model for OUD and SUD
As Louisiana’s only academic primary care center focused on care of patients with opioid use disorder, the LSU Integrated Health Clinic combines medication for OUD and SUD with primary care to diagnose and treat medical issues, along with psychological and psychiatric interventions to support long-term recovery.
“The LSU Integrated Health Clinic has placed addiction treatment services within a broader, comprehensive primary care clinic. This means that any patient can seek treatment without stigma. Through integrated care, we are removing traditional barriers to treatment,” said Dr. Benjamin Springgate, clinic co-founder and chief of Community and Population Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans. “LSU Health New Orleans’ integrated approach is more than transformative, it’s a scalable, common sense and essential solution to improve outcomes for our community and the efficiency of our healthcare system.”
National Collaborative to Improve Treatment Access and Retention
Throughout 2026, a multidisciplinary team, including doctors from LSU Health New Orleans, UMCNO, Tulane and LCMC Health, will participate in national learning sessions, implement evidence-based interventions and share data with other participating health systems. The collaborative will focus on measurable improvements in patient linkage rates, treatment retention and health outcomes for individuals with opioid and stimulant use disorders – leading causes of morbidity and mortality in New Orleans, across the state of Louisiana and nationally.
“The strategies we develop through this national collaborative will inform best practices across Louisiana,” said Dr. Vanessa de la Cruz, a physician faculty leader at the clinic and statewide medical director of the Office of Behavioral Health for the Louisiana Department of Health. “The evidence-based, low-barrier model employed by the LSU Integrated Health Clinic is highly valued by the State of Louisiana and Louisiana Department of Health as a proven approach to save lives. This clinic is setting the standard for similar models across the state and nationally.”
The highly competitive, national award includes participation in the collaborative and a $20,000 grant that will aid in expanding the UMCNO’s life-saving services and strengthening referral pathways for patients. Opened in 2019, the LSU Integrated Health Clinic has served over 3,000 patients and has become a lifeline for many in the community facing opioid addiction and in need of accessible, high-quality, evidence-based care.
OUD and SUD represent a public health emergency in Louisiana and nationally. These conditions are leading causes of preventable death, with high overdose deaths affecting all demographics. In Louisiana, the crisis has been particularly acute, with overdose death rates exceeding national averages. The economic impact extends beyond healthcare costs to include lost productivity, criminal justice expenses and family disruption.
Evidence-based medication treatment remains vastly underutilized despite proven effectiveness – fewer than 20% of people with OUD receive medication treatment nationally. Supported through partnership and initiatives like the AHA learning collaborative, the LSU Integrated Health Clinic and UMCNO aim to close this treatment gap by improving care transitions at critical intervention points.
