Rapid Access Network  

“RAN” was awarded first prize for round one of the Empire State Opioid Epidemic Innovation Challenge held at the Columbia University School of Engineering in partnership with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health , the Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech), Northwell Health and the State of New York.

Mission Statement

Helping people who are suffering from opioid use disorder to connect with peer advocates who can asssit them in navigating healthcare options especially in emergency situations like an overdose.

Use case

A person with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) may suffer an overdose alone. The RAN app can connect them to a Peer Advocate who can stay with them virtually or come to their assistance, depending on their proximity to the user. In some cases, a person with OUD experiencing an overdose may present themselves to an emergency department. If the department is overwhelmed with patients, they may wait to be triaged and could decide to leave before receiving treatment.

Emergency department personnel may not be adequately trained to handle an overdose situation. A Peer Advocate from the RAN system could assist the user and help emergency personnel manage the OUD patient while awaiting treatment.

Project team:

Stephanie Campbell, Tim Cheney, Maureen Farrell, Richard Isaacs; project manager, Liya Lomsadze and Michael Rand.