News
September 11, 2020

Addiction crisis continues amid COVID-19: Regenstrief scientist addressing needs through community health workers

As the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans continue to battle substance use disorder. September is National Recovery Month, and Indiana University is celebrating the faculty who are leading the effort to help people recover.

Debra Litzelman, M.D., M.A., associate director of the Regenstrief Institute Center for Health Services Research, is leading the CARE Plus project which helps pregnant women and young mothers with substance use challenges by connecting them to resources and support. The women work with addiction recovery coaches and community health workers to address needs such as housing, food and counseling, all of which are especially important during the pandemic.

READ ABOUT THE STORY OF A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER AND THE NEW MOTHER SHE HELPED 

CARE Plus is funded by Indiana University’s Responding to the Addictions Grand Challenge. It began in 2017 and includes 32 teams and more than 130 business, nonprofit and government partners.


READ MORE ABOUT THE WORK BEING ACCOMPLISHED BY THE GRAND CHALLENGE

In addition to being a research scientist and associate director of the Regenstrief Center for Health Services research, Dr. Litzelman is also the D. Craig Brater Professor of Global Health Education and a professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine and the director of education for the Indiana University Center for Global Health.

 

  • Dr. Debra Litzelman

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