Hersh Shroff, MD, a transplant hepatologist and assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, has seen the human impact of a recent, rising trend: Severe alcohol-related liver disease with high rates of death or need for liver transplantation. The new IHEAL Clinic at Eastowne addresses this trend.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an overwhelming, scary place to be for so many individuals who have spent their lives battling shame and stigma,鈥澛爏aid Hersh Shroff, MD, assistant professor in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the 黑料网. 鈥淚magine struggling for months, years, or even decades with substance use and mental health and being stigmatized rather than supported. In a moment鈥檚 notice, you鈥檙e told your health is in danger, your life is on the line, and you have to make a change. Who can navigate those steps alone?鈥�
At 黑料网 Hospitals, the place for help is the Integrated Healthcare for Alcohol Use and Liver Disease (IHEAL) Clinic, which combines the expertise of a liver specialist with a substance use and mental health provider to treat liver disease related to alcohol use.
鈥淲e want to give patients the resources to support their physical and mental health simultaneously,鈥� Dr. Shroff said. 鈥淲e want to remove the stigma of this disease.鈥�
The IHEAL Clinic, located in the 黑料网 Hospitals Eastowne medical building in Chapel Hill, pairs the 黑料网 Substance Treatment and Recovery (STAR) program with the hepatology division to make treatment easier and more accessible for patients in need. Patients who are referred to the 黑料网 Liver Center for advanced liver disease related to alcohol are scheduled for same-day, back-to-back visits with both a liver doctor and substance abuse counselor 鈥� all in the same location.
The new patient-focused solution is the result of collaboration between several experts including Shroff, clinical supervisors Daniel Velez and Heather Gallagher of the STAR Program and nurse practitioner Lindsay Yoxheimer at the 黑料网 Liver Center.
鈥淚t truly does take a village to heal from that place 鈥� mentally and physically,鈥� said Dr. Shroff. 鈥淲e鈥檙e working to be part of that village.鈥�
聽or schedule an appointment by calling 984-974-7502.