📍Memphis, Tennessee
Addressing Stigma and Workforce Shortages
Challenge:
There are too few physicians with the specialized training and experience required to effectively treat substance use disorder (SUD) and they are in high demand across healthcare organizations.
Solution:
Baptist Memorial Hospital’s Addiction Medicine Fellowship was established in 2020 to train physicians to provide high-quality addiction treatment. The program employs a multi-faceted approach to address workforce gaps and expand access to SUD treatment, including the following features:
- Recruitment of high-quality candidates: The fellowship intentionally recruits physicians from a variety of backgrounds and experiences who are committed to serving medically under-resourced communities, while elevating addiction medicine as a vital and fulfilling specialty to reduce stigma and strengthen the workforce.
- Comprehensive training curriculum: Training covers SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services as well as integrated care models, individualized care, and education about the science behind addiction medicine.
- Clinical experiences: Fellows train in various settings (e.g., emergency rooms, outpatient clinics, health centers, and via telehealth services) and are trained to deliver care using interprofessional care models.
- Faculty training enhancement: Provides ongoing addiction medicine education to the faculty and preceptors at the healthcare organizations where fellows train to ensure fellows receive the support they need.
- Scholarly engagement: Encourages fellows to conduct research and present at conferences to advance addiction medicine knowledge.
- Expansion of treatment infrastructure: Increases regional capacity to provide evidence-based addiction treatment and educational resources by delivering a curriculum covering the full continuum of care (i.e., prevention, treatment, recovery services) and integrated care models. The program also adds clinical rotations in emergency departments, outpatient clinics, and telehealth settings.
- Community partnerships: Builds collaboration across key SUD treatment organizations (outpatient and residential), detox treatment centers, hospitals, health centers, and medical schools to provide comprehensive addiction care.
- Sustaining partnerships: Works to align visions across participating organizations, maintain strong communication, and ensures financial sustainability through budget planning and shared resources.
Impact:
✅ Trained 20 addiction medicine fellows since 2020, expanding the provider workforce in medication under-resourced communities.
✅ Established partnerships with hospitals, medical schools, and treatment centers to enhance addiction education and care delivery.
✅ Strengthened recruitment pipelines by engaging medical schools, community organizations, and public-facing conferences.
✅ Improved the quality of addiction medicine training for faculty and fellows, leading to better patient outcomes.
✅ Addressed stigma and workforce shortages through targeted recruitment efforts and public education initiatives.