The SCL Health St. Mary’s Foundation in Grand Junction has received a $200,000 grant under an effort to address opioid addictions.

The Health Resources and Service Administration Federal Office for Rural Communities Opioid Response Programs awarded the grant to help fund efforts to prevent and treat opioid addictions.

The St. Mary’s Foundation will work with the Western Colorado Consortium for Opioid Prevention Enhancement, Recovery and Addiction Treatment Engagement. The effort also will involve federally qualified health centers, health insurers, higher education, primary care providers, substance use disorder treatment providers, and work force training programs.

“These partnerships will allow us to work with both existing and new partners to build an approach to addressing prevention, treatment and recovery for opioid use disorder in a fashion that will fit the Western Slope,” said Dr. Ryan Jackman, medical director of St. Mary’s Integrated Addiction Medicine Clinic and a faculty physician at St. Mary’s family medicine residency program.

“Having trained over 90 providers in Western Colorado, this grant is important in capitalizing and expanding upon these efforts to improve the way the medical establishments address opioid use disorder,” Jackman said.