Cleveland Health Systems Partner to Respond to Opioid Epidemic

Article by Lydia Coutre of Crain's Cleveland Business

Cleveland-area hospitals are partnering together to tackle the opioid epidemic through the Northeast Ohio Hospital Consortium on Opioid Addiction.

The consortium, which includes Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center and University Hospitals, was formed after hospital leaders agreed late last year to help fund a full-time position to lead the hospital-specific response to the crisis, according to a news release.

"The enormity of the opioid epidemic in Northeast Ohio calls for a coordinated community response," UH CEO Thomas F. Zenty III said in a statement. "Bringing the combined resources of our region's extraordinary health systems to bear on this crisis is the right thing to do. We're unified in our commitment to stem the tide of addictions, save lives and create a healthier Cleveland."

Allisyn Leppla will serve as the consortium's executive director, a position to be housed at the Center for Health Affairs, a nonprofit advocate for Northeast Ohio hospitals.

Leppla, who most recently was program manager of injury prevention and opioid abuse at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, will be responsible for coordinating hospital activities that aim to stem the opioid epidemic in Northeast Ohio. According to the Center for Health Affairs, this is the first such initiative in the nation.

She begins her role Sept. 6. Leppla has 15 years of experience in various areas that have given her "significant exposure" to the region's opioid epidemic, according to the release. She has served as a founding member of the Cuyahoga County Opiate Task Force, chaired the Ohio Injury Prevention Partnership, co-chaired the Prescription Drug Abuse Action Group and is actively participating in the U.S. Attorney's Heroin and Opioid Action Plan.

"Having an executive director in this position will allow Cleveland hospitals to leverage our collective expertise and resources to educate and engage providers with best practice prescribing practices and to develop vital treatment services to help individuals recover from and navigate through addiction," said Dr. Akram Boutros, president and CEO of MetroHealth, in a statement.

Efforts led by the Cuyahoga County Opiate Task Force and the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio brought together hospital CEOs who decided to go forward with the effort in a decision born out of years of discussions. These discussions also lead to the Heroin and Opioid Action Plan, which included recommendations such as improved prescribing practices, expanded use of Naloxone and increased use of medication-assisted treatment.

"At the Cleveland Clinic, we see firsthand the devastating toll opioids take on our patients and our community," Dr. Toby Cosgrove, CEO of the Clinic, said in a statement. "As a region, we're seeing the number of fatalities continue to rise as we try to fight an epidemic that takes 150 American lives each day. The responsibility to ease this suffering falls on all of us in the Northeast Ohio community and Cleveland Clinic is proud to be a part of this important work."