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New hotline by UAMS helps doctors treat opioid addiction

MATRIARC will allow providers to provide medicated assisted treatment.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) – Opioid abuse is an epidemic in Arkansas and the state still has one of the lowest numbers of treatment providers in the country.

"Arkansas has 85 doctors that can prescribe medication assisted treatment. Tennessee has over 800 doctors that can provide that same treatment." Dr. Michael Mancino said.

Mancino, director of the Center for Addiction Services and Treatment at UAMS, said we are not doing enough to help people who are addicted.

“We still have a lot of work to do and now we’ve recognized there’s a problem and we can’t ignore it and we need to address it,” he said.

State Drug Director Kirk Lane said Arkansas has the second highest opioid prescribing rate in the nation with 114.6 prescriptions for every 100 people.

"That equates to over 250 million opioid pills dispensed into a population of 3,000,000 people,” Lane said.

But a new hotline through UAMS aims to make opioid abuse treatment more available.

"What we hope to get out of this program is to improve access to care to people with opioid use disorders,” Mancino said.

MATRIARC will allow providers to provide medicated assisted treatment.

'[Medicated assisted treatment] things help decrease withdrawal and decrease craving for the drug,” Mancino said.

Mancino said healthcare providers can now call the MATRIARC hotline to get treatment for opioid addicted patients.

"There are no providers sometimes in rural Arkansas. The Southeast corner of the state? I don't think there are any providers at all,” he said.

Mancino said he wants this to empower providers to be comfortable prescribing treatments to opioid addicted patients.

"No matter where you live, you can go to your doctor down the street to get the treatment that you need to potentially save your life,” he said.

Healthcare providers can call the hotline for free Monday-Friday. The number is 501-526-8459.

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