New warmline provides same-day treatment to people affected by opioid use disorder

A warmline that will quickly connect people with opioid use disorder to buprenorphine, a potentially lifesaving medication, will launch Sept. 29.

The University of Michigan’s Overdose Prevention Engagement Network, or OPEN, developed the new service with support from the state of Michigan, which provided a $1.5-million grant to address a public health crisis that’s resulted in 12,800 fatal overdoses in the state since 2020.

Initially, the OPEN Warmline will serve people recently released from or under the supervision of the Michigan Department of Corrections before it expands to all Michigan residents. After expansion, the warmline phone number will be widely publicized. Until then, contact [email protected].

A call to the OPEN Warmline, which will be staffed during business hours by health care professionals, will connect callers to same-day telehealth prescribing for buprenorphine, a proven, effective but underutilized treatment for opioid use disorder, or OUD. Insurance will not be required to receive care from the OPEN Warmline.

Patients are seven times more likely to start buprenorphine if given a same-day appointment after an overdose or other urgent health care visit. Buprenorphine helps treat OUD by easing withdrawal, reducing cravings and managing pain.

“This warmline will offer immediate support for individuals who may not know where to go for help or who lack access to existing services for a number of reasons. Being able to streamline their paths toward recovery is a primary goal of this work,” said Amy Bohnert, co-director of OPEN and U-M’s Opioid Research Institute. “Access to timely, evidence-based and patient-centered care is critical for those living with opioid use disorder.”

The OPEN Warmline is modeled after the success of similar programs in other states and is staffed by a team of care navigators, a nurse care manager, peer recovery coaches and medical providers.

The OPEN team is partnering on the warmline with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Packard Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Washtenaw County.

Buprenorphine is an FDA-approved opioid use disorder medication that has been proven to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings in people who use opioids and to reduce the risk of overdose deaths by 50%.

“As a buprenorphine provider, I see the transformative impact of this medication on patients living with OUD every day,” said Eliza Hutchinson, physician director of the OPEN Warmline, a family physician and medical director of Medication for Addiction Treatment at Packard Health.

“I also know that we are missing opportunities to connect many more Michiganders to this lifesaving treatment with our existing care models. In particular, we know that patients are seven times more likely to start buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder if given an appointment on the same day. The OPEN Warmline is designed to address this gap, meeting patients at the moment they feel motivated to seek care.”

Bohnert said the OPEN Warmline care model emphasizes care without judgment.

“The team embraces a patient-centered approach and sees a patient’s return to use not as a failure, but as a chance to reassess a patient’s goals and ensure that the best care is being administered,” Bohnert said. “Through the OPEN Warmline, patients will always be welcomed back, if needed, and celebrated for their successes.”