“Because of the dedication and work of the PACC telemedicine team, there are people alive in Clallam County that wouldn’t be otherwise. PACC is an incredible resource to our free clinic, in a county that has limited behavioral health resources for uninsured and underinsured patients. There are people out here on this earth because of what you all do at PACC.” – Dr. Gerald B. Stephanz, Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic, Clallam County
“I’m a psychiatrist in north central Washington, where there are not many other psychiatrists. I’ve really valued being able to have the ongoing education UWPACC provides, as well as hearing from other doctors from around the state. There is often useful information that I incorporate into my practice. For example, after a talk on treating ADHD in people with substance use disorders, I have changed which stimulants I prescribe first line to help minimize the risk of abuse. It also helps to learn more about available resources. After participating in the CME on tardive dyskinesia, I was able to refer a patient who has tried everything our neurologists here can offer to the UW movement disorders clinic, which I hadn’t known was an option previously.” – Stephanie Giannandrea, Confluence Health, Physician director, Behavioral Health, Chelan County
“The UW PACC program has been an incredible resource for me. I am a psychiatrist working with cancer patients and part of my job is to take care of cancer patients with substance use issues. UW PACC has been an amazing resource for me to learn more about addiction issues and to learn up to date recommendations for how to treat complicated addiction disorders. I also appreciate the sense of community it provides. When I have a complicated case I know I have a place to turn to get consultation and support to continue this important but at times, very challenging, work.” – Julia Ruark, SCCA, Psychiatry Dual Diagnosis Clinic, Physician, King County
“Thank you so much for allowing me to present my case today. I appreciated all of the wonderful feedback and recommendations. As a new PA student I’ve had limited exposure to these mental health disorders, therefore I am trying to suck up all the education and advice that I can get. This weekly teleconference is an incredible resource to any rural health care provider.” – Sara Steffen, Volunteers in Medicine, Clallam County
“The UW PACC Case Conferences has provided our rural/semi-rural clinical team the ability to access psychiatric/addiction expertise and case discussions that would be otherwise unavailable in our service area. These UW PACC case conferences have positively reinforced our local efforts to provide evidence-based treatment within harm reduction, low-barrier practice models. The discussion of timely and innovative practice topics helps our clinical team keep up-to-date with a rapidly evolving field of addiction medicine by highlighting diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives from across Washington State. Personally, I find these discussions help further humanize not only the individuals we serve, but also the efforts of those providers who are consistently working to improve treatment and outcomes in spite of the complexities that present on a daily basis.” – Alberto Carbo, Peninsula Community Health Services, Clinical Pharmacist, Integrated SUD Program, Kitsap County
“As a physician with a focus on treatment of Opioid Use Disorder, I have found the UW PACC series to be immensely helpful. 20 years ago, buprenorphine treatment started out ‘more art than science’ but as it expanded from dedicated addiction clinics to a variety of practice settings, the science has become more established. I turn to UW PACC to ensure I am up to date on the evidence base for all aspects of addiction psychiatry and I often return to the archived slide decks. The moderators are leaders in their fields and do a great job of addressing questions and concerns from clinicians of diverse backgrounds across WA. Their expertise contributes to building not only provider confidence, but also morale, in what can be a challenging practice area.” – Ann Bruce, MD, Kitsap County
“I think the feedback I received in this case will prove helpful to several of my current patients who have similar needs. I also note that even during the case consultation I was able to get some collaboration from the other teleconference participants who I would not have otherwise known about. To me that is an important fringe benefit.” – Anonymous, Clallam County
