Mercy Health – St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital will be offering a new Addiction Medicine Fellowship for physicians. 
 
Mercy Health's new program received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The program will be open to physicians who have completed an ACGME-accredited residency and are interested in providing care to individuals struggling with substance use disorders. 
 
"The Mahoning Valley is no stranger to the opioid crisis and Mercy Health is taking actionable steps to train the next generation of physicians to treat patients impacted by it," said Dr. Jim Kravec, Chief Clinical Officer for Mercy Health.
 
Mercy Health's addiction medicine fellows will receive training to treat patients with substance abuse and behavioral disorders in the following areas: 
• Acute detoxification
• Long-term pharmacotherapeutic treatments
• Abstinence-based recovery models
• Harm-reduction recovery models
• Motivational interviewing
• 12-Step facilitation
• Assessment of substance abuse for individuals receiving medical and psychiatric hospital services
• Assessment and treatment of patients with substance abuse and pain
 
"In addition to training our new Addiction Medicine Fellows, this fellowship program will enable us to train all 150 residents who are completing their residency in Youngstown. They will all be able to complete elective rotations through this program, providing all our future doctors training in better pain management skills, how to identify someone who may need addiction services and what to do if they see someone come through their department or practice who needs help," said Dr. Ronald Rhodes, Chief Academic Officer.
 
Once open, the Addiction Medicine Fellowship program will operate out of a new medical center on Belmont Avenue – the site of the former VA clinic building.