Addiction Medicine Fellowship - According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), 40 million Americans had a substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis in 2020. However, less than 7% of them received treatment. Although, several strategies have been developed to combat this public health crisis, the role healthcare providers play is still central. Addiction medicine is a medical subspecialty that focuses on the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals with the disease of addiction. The field was official recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) as a subspecialty in 2016. Currently, there are 106 ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) accredited addiction medicine fellowships in the United States. However, the majority are in urban areas. This is particularly evident throughout the Midwestern region and can limit access to addiction services for rural populations. Therefore, the purpose of this application is to obtain funding to sponsor two addiction fellowship positions in Springfield, Illinois. Springfield is a city in central Illinois surrounded by rural communities. The program curriculum emphasizes skills and knowledge necessary to practice addiction medicine in rural and underserved medical communities. We are requesting funding priority (priority 3) and funding preference (qualification 3) in the submission of the application.
