LSU Health New Orleans‘ Integrated Health Clinic at University Medical Center New Orleans has been chosen as one of six teams nationally to participate in the American Hospital Association‘s Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder Linkage and Retention Learning Collaborative.
The selection comes with a $20,000 grant to support expanded services and strengthen patient referral pathways.
As Louisiana’s only academic primary care center focused on opioid use disorder, the clinic integrates medication-assisted treatment with primary care, psychological support, and psychiatric interventions to promote long-term recovery. Since opening in 2019, the clinic has served more than 3,000 patients.
“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,” said Dr. Benjamin Springgate, clinic co-founder and chief of Community and Population Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans. “Through integrated care, we are removing traditional barriers to treatment. 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 health care system.”
In 2026, a multidisciplinary team including physicians 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 health systems. The collaborative aims to improve patient linkage rates, treatment retention, and health outcomes for individuals with opioid and stimulant use disorders — major contributors to preventable deaths in Louisiana and nationwide.
“The strategies we develop through this national collaborative will inform best practices across Louisiana,” said Dr. Vanessa de la Cruz, 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 opioid and stimulant crisis continues to pose a significant public health challenge in Louisiana and across the United States. Despite the proven effectiveness of medication-assisted treatment, fewer than 20% of people with opioid use disorder receive such therapy nationally. Officials said the clinic’s participation in the collaborative will help close this treatment gap by improving transitions of care at critical intervention points.
The LSU Integrated Health Clinic operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at University Medical Center New Orleans’ Primary Care Center, 2003 Tulane Ave., Suite B. Appointments and referrals can be made by calling 504-962-6106.
LSU Health New Orleans, the state’s leading health sciences university, educates health care professionals across multiple campuses and disciplines. Its faculty provide patient care, conduct cutting-edge research, and contribute to Louisiana’s economic growth through the development of new treatments and health innovations.
