CARE + COMMUNITY
Bringing Hope to the Opioid Epidemic Former ski racer Ashley McAuliffe suffered numerous ski-related injuries, including broken ankles and wrists, throughout her career. At age 18, the pain became so intense that she was prescribed opioids to cope. Three years later, she found herself addicted to the very pills that were supposed to help her. Eventually, her physicians refused to fill the prescriptions and she turned to heroin. After a downward spiral that landed her in rehab three times, McAuliffe, now 35, finally found the help she needed at a clinic in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, thanks to an innovative treatment program spearheaded by the CU College of Nursing. In 2017, Colorado lawmakers passed Senate Bill 17-074, providing funding for a pilot program to deliver medication-assisted treatment to
victims of the opioid epidemic. In the program, CU Nursing faculty train local nurse practitioners and physician assistants to deliver treatment at three clinical sites in Pueblo and Routt counties. The treatment is an effective approach to treating opioid addiction, combining medication with long-term behavioral therapy. The program is just one of many initiatives under the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, housed at the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The consortium is under the umbrella of the Center for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, established this past summer. The center gives the CU Anschutz community opportunities to collaborate and coordinate across disciplines.
