The PREMIER Center team will collaborate on projects both within the center and through an extensive network of clinicians and researchers in the Texas Medical Center and across the state to understand and propose solutions for the opioid crisis facing our community, city, state and nation.

The PREMIER Center will address needs not currently being met by any other center, including leading research on controlled substance prescription (CSP) medications.

Texas Targeted Opioid Response (TTOR)

The primary research and education project in the field of CSP misuse currently being conducted by center faculty is supported by federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).

The Safe Drug Disposal and Community Awareness (SDD/CA) Project of the Texas Targeted Opioid Response (TTOR) program, is improving the lives of Texans by preventing the non-medical use of prescription medications through increased access to safe disposal methods, assessment of health care provider practices relating to disposal methods and providing prevention education to high-risk individuals in Texas.

The funding currently supports three distinct projects: removing unused controlled substances from homes; helping physicians and health systems reduce patient risk with initial opioid prescribing; and providing training to pharmacists to improve safe opioid dispensing in community settings.

PhARM-OUD Guideline

The Pharmacy Access to Resources and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (PhARM-OUD) Guideline is designed to educate pharmacists about the importance of providing access to buprenorphine and help them navigate a complex set of regulatory and clinical barriers to access. 

With grant support from the FORE Foundation, the guideline project was led by UHCOP, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the National Community Pharmacists Assocation with input from 22-member expert panel.  

Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council

The Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council was formed to ensure that money recovered through the statewide opioid settlement agreements is allocated fairly and spent to put an end to the opioid crisis in Texas. Overseen by the Texas Comptroller of Public Funds, the 14-member council's duties include adopting rules related to establishing grant processes and procedures to fairly and efficiently evaluate grant applications and distribute funds within the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund.

One of six appointees by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner, PREMIER Center Director Doug Thornton, Pharm.D., Ph.D., serves as Region 3 representative for the Greater Houston region.