By Brigitte Hugh | July 27, 2021

Peer into the opiate crisis and courses that can help, with Maren Wright Voss

Maren Wright Voss loves writing grants because it's this "fun, collaborative process where you see a need and you get to creatively think about what will fix that." She employs this passion with Utah State University Extension where she and her colleagues work to bring evidenced based strategies for pain management into Utah communities. These strategies are especially targeted towards those who are struggling with opioid addiction. 

In this episode of Instead, Maren walks us through a brief timeline of opioid addiction in the United States before sharing some of the alternative pain management methods she and her colleagues bring into communities, including:

  • action planning
  • managing negative thinking
  • better sleep strategies
  • and pain management courses.

Maren urges people struggling with addiction to take advantage of these alternative methods, and for those who feel there is no point, she says, "Come knowing there is hope." 

You can learn more about Maren's research and work at her Blue Plate Research event, The HEART of the Opioid Epidemic: A cutting-edge program to address substance use disorder in Utah, which will take place Thursday, August 19, 2021 from 11:30- 1:00 p.m.