Rural New Mexico exports mentoring model for physicians

ESPANOLA, N.M. (AP) — A mentoring program for physicians in isolated, rural areas is being tapped by the federal government in efforts to expand access to specialized care. The unconventional system could hold particular promise for containing America's opioid addiction epidemic. At a health clinic in New Mexico's Espanola Valley, training by videoconference ensures a pregnant mother gets treatment to stay off heroin. Project ECHO's long-distance training for physicians, their assistants and nurse practitioners mimics the mentoring that interns and residents receive at elite urban hospitals. The effort by the University of New Mexico now extends to dozen of chronic medical conditions, and has been replicated in 30 states and other countries including India, Brazil, Namibia and Northern Ireland. Under the federal ECHO Act, it could be integrated into one of the world's largest health care systems.