*While the services provided by HEROES are provided free of charge, participants are required to pay for any prescriptions either with insurance or out of pocket.
Participant eligibility includes adults over 18 years with history of prior opioid-related overdose or opioid use disorder. At this time, we are only able to assist English speaking patients.
Houston sees one opioid related death every 32 hours as opioid related death rates continue to rise in Texas and across the country. Houston Police and Fire departments receive between 50-100 reports of opioid overdoses monthly, and of those about 1 of every 3 or 4 are fatal.
The Emergency Medical System – either 911 or in the ER – is often the first point of care when persons living with opioid use disorder are in crisis. These moments are critical in providing treatment and recovery resources to patients seeking help. We aim to provide comprehensive services to keep patients in treatment and recovery. We help connect patients to ongoing medicated assisted treatment, behavioral therapy, peer recovery coaching, and support groups.
The Houston ER Opioid System (HEROES) is a joint initiative between the McGovern Medical School and the School of Biomedical Informatics at University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston. We aim to assist patients navigate the complex recovery journey by incorporating medical and behavioral support services for optimum engagement and retention in outpatient treatment. We currently have over 300 patients enrolled in our cohort.
The purpose of this study is to identify the prevalence of opioid use disorder and opioid-related overdoses across Southeast Texas, and to develop a comprehensive care coordination system to improve retention of patients in long-term treatment. We will help patients engage in treatment, recovery, and follow-up to improve their chances of long-term recovery and improved quality of life. Our program involves novel medication in the emergency department, follow-up from licensed emergency medical technicians, outpatient medication-assisted treatment, and ongoing recovery coaching. Our program is funded by an award from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) targeted opioid response program.
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Dr. James Langabeer PhD, MBA, EMT, FAHA Leadership
Dr. James Langabeer
PhD, MBA, EMT, FAHA Leadership James Langabeer PhD, MBA, EMT, FAHA is a tenured full professor. He holds joint appointments at the UT School of Public Health (Health Management and Policy), the School of Biomedical Informatics, and McGovern Medical School in the department of Emergency Medicine where he also holds the title of Vice Chair of Population Health. He has recently been named Fellow of the American Heart Association conferred by the Council on Quality Care and Outcomes Research (QCOR). → read more |
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Dr. Tiffany Champagne Langabeer PhD, MBA, RD Leadership
Dr. Tiffany Champagne Langabeer
PhD, MBA, RD Leadership Assistant Professor Champagne-Langabeer focuses on the health policy and informatics components of the program. Her research on use of telemedicine and health information exchanges to improve public health. → read more |
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Simone Lee Joannou
Research Coordinator
Simone Lee Joannou, M.A
Administration Simone Joannou is our Administrative Analyst, providing novel insight into making our program run as smoothly and successfully as possible. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology and her Master’s in Philosophy, focusing on Ethics in Mental Health Care. |
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Andrea Yatsco
PhD, CADC, LCDC
Andrea Yatsco
PhD, CADC, LCDC Dr. Andrea Yatsco is the Associate Director of the HEROES project. She is an internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, a state Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, and a Certified Medication Assisted Treatment Advocate. She provides clinical supervision to the HEROES direct patient care staff and provides oversight to grant-funded expansions of the program, including the Heroes Helpline for first responders, and the application of the HEROES model in other at-risk populations and expansion into extended geographic areas. Dr. Yatsco has worked in corrections, human services, and as adjunct faculty teaching on topics of psychology, substance use, criminology, and criminal justice. → read more |
This comprehensive system of care involves participation with emergency physicians, psychiatrists, emergency medical technicians (EMT), licensed professional counselors, certified recovery specialists, pharmacists, police and fire departments.
Some of our partners include:
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If you are looking to enroll in our program, please contact our program coordinator by email at heroes@uth.tmc.edu. Or call us at 713-500-3597.
The first step involves meeting in person to complete an informed consent and other necessary paperwork. We will then walk you through the program’s benefits and time commitment.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
What is Buprenorphine and how can it assist in medication-assisted treatment?
https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment/treatment/buprenorphine
Drug Overdose Deaths by State
https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html
HEROES Intervention
The role of recovery coaches at HEROES
What we offer at HEROES
