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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Tami Mark, PhD, an internationally known health economist and expert on behavioral health care financing at RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, is available to comment on the challenges posed by COVID-19 for people seeking treatment for substance use disorders.
Providers are reporting that COVID-19 has curtailed access to treatment for individuals with addiction, a chronic disease that is made worse by social isolation, economic distress and anxiety. Although the federal government has provided greater flexibilities to deliver addiction treatment via telemedicine and to prescribe controlled medications without in-person visits, access barriers remain. Moreover, treatment centers are facing economic stresses caused by pandemic which may have long-lasting consequences
Dr. Mark collaborates with federal and state agencies to improve their behavioral health treatment systems through research, data analytics, technical assistance and policy development. Currently, she is leading a PCORI funded research study that aims to improve the addiction treatment intake process.
She has authored more than 100 scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles and numerous government reports on behavioral health financing and delivery. She was a contributing author to the Surgeon General’s landmark report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health.
To request an interview, email news@rti.org.
