Verily’s OneFifteen creating high-tech campus to help opioid recovery, advance addiction medicine

For the past several years, the U.S. has experienced a public health emergency due to opioid overdoses. Verily today announced the OneFifteen nonprofit to combat the crisis by building a high-tech campus for rehabilitation that leverages data.

The Alphabet division says it was “compelled to act” in light of “one of the greatest public health crises the US has seen.”

A team of Verily clinicians, engineers, and health systems specialists undertook an assessment of the opioid crisis and uncovered a complex set of challenges that touched nearly every facet of our society. We recognized that a common thread through these challenges was the absence of high quality information to guide individuals, communities, and legislators to adopt treatment models that they are confident will support prevention and recovery.

Data is at the core of Verily’s approach, with the OneFifteen “learning health system” hoping to “generate insights that could advance the understanding of how to treat and promote sustained recovery.” According to an interview with CNBC, this might involve surveys or “more sophisticated technology” that Verily will provide to OneFifteen. The Alphabet division created a Study Watch for its existing studies that includes a host of sensors, including ECG.

Partnering with the Kettering Health Network and Premier Health, this non-profit is named after the 115 people that died each day in 2017 from opioid overdoses. This number is unfortunately continuing to rise.

However, when it comes to any kind of recover, the environment plays a big role, with Verily also working with Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. to build a “tech-enabled campus conducive to promoting recovery and addressing the holistic needs of each individual treated.” Located in Dayton, Ohio, this will include clinical services, recovery housing, and mixed-use facilities.

People living with addiction need multidimensional and easy-to-access treatment. We recognize that if the full continuum of care as well as other services like recovery housing and vocational training could be in one location, it could produce better outcomes for patients and their loved ones.

According to Verily, this will be a long-term effort that requires a deep commitment from all partners involved and the community. The Alphabet division will provide the technical infrastructure and other resources.

We hope that the work of OneFifteen will be a cornerstone in advancing the field of addiction medicine, demonstrating the value of investing in behavioral health and improving the health of communities. We look forward to working with the OneFifteen team on this ambitious endeavor.