IU's Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge initiative has been awarded the Indiana Innovation Now Award by the Addiction Policy Forum, a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating addiction as a major health problem.
The award, presented during a special ceremony Aug. 21, 2019 in Indianapolis, recognized the Responding to the Addictions Crisis initiative as an innovator changing the field of addiction in the state of Indiana.
"We are so proud and honored to accept this award," said Robin Newhouse, dean of the School of Nursing, distinguished professor and leader of the Responding to the Addictions Crisis. "This has been an effort not just about the science, but also about engaging with our community to provide sustainable solutions."
IU was one of ten organizations and professionals recognized for making a difference in the state and was the only organization of higher education to be recognized. The Addiction Policy Forum’s Innovation Now initiative showcases innovative programs and interventions from across the nation that are actively transforming the field of addiction.
The Grand Challenge initiative also will be featured in the forum's "Indiana Innovations to Address Addiction: Ten Innovative Solutions that are transforming Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery" report which highlights the more than 30 interdisciplinary research teams within the Grand Challenge who are engaging with more than 144 community and state partners.
"The Innovation Now Initiative recognizes revolutionary programs, such as Indiana University’s Addictions Grand Challenge, that are transforming the response to addiction in Indiana and offering solutions during a time of crisis," says Jessica Hulsey Nickel, founder of the Addiction Policy Forum.
The Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge initiative engages a broad array of IU's world-class faculty, as well as IU's business, nonprofit and government partners. Working together, the groups are contributing to an initiative to implement a comprehensive plan to reduce deaths from addiction, ease the burden of drug addiction on Hoosier communities and improve health and economic outcomes. This initiative is one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive state-based responses to the opioid addiction crisis -- and the largest led by a university.