Healthy Behavior and Function Clinic removes barriers to opioid treatment
Six years after MultiCare Rockwood Clinic established the Healthy Behavior and Function Clinic, its impact on care in the Spokane region has only grown.
As part of the Washington State Health Care Authority’s Hub and Spoke program, the clinic has delivered low-barrier and compassionate medication treatment for opioid use disorder to more than 1,700 patients over the past two years. In addition to medical care, the clinic also helps connect patients to services that address social determinants of health, such as access to housing, food and transportation.
“There’s a lot of psycho-social complexity — patients who are couch surfing, recently incarcerated, or don’t have access to phones or internet,” explains Lora Jasman, MD, FACP, internal medicine physician at the Healthy Behavior and Function Clinic. “There’s also a lot of medical complexity, including the various diseases they may encounter from their usage itself. And about half have a mental health disorder.”
As part of their commitment to low-barrier care, the Healthy Behavior and Function Clinic welcomes all patients, including those persisting in substance use. Patients are never discharged from care for missing appointments, and a waitlist is available to provide as much access as possible.
“I often tell my medical students that it’s their number-one job to make the patient experience one they want to come back to,” Dr. Jasman says. “Most of our patients have had some kind of trauma and have fear of going into a medical facility, so if we can get them to trust us and come back, that’s a huge part of keeping them alive.”
The Healthy Behavior & Function Clinic was a winner of a 2023 MultiCare CEO & President’s Award.