UC Nursing senior part of interdisciplinary team winning health policy challenge

Chaouali at her White Coat Ceremony

Chaouali teamed up with criminal justice student Selma Younes, psychology student Samantha Jackson and political science student Tala Hamdan to create the Remote Methadone Monitoring Pilot Program, a project designed to improve access to methadone treatment for individuals facing transportation challenges or limited clinic availability.

This marks the second year the Portman Center for Policy Solutions has challenged students to step into the role of problem-solvers, addressing pressing issues in local and national politics. Teams of two to four students were tasked with examining health care issues affecting Ohio, Hamilton County, or the City of Cincinnati and developing programs or policies that were both feasible and financially sustainable.

Chaouali at Naritasan Shinsho-ji temple during her Global Health trip to Japan

After submitting their two-page policy proposal, the team was selected as one of four finalists and advanced to present before the Portman Center and a panel of distinguished judges, including attorneys and a former member of Cincinnati City Council. Chaouali says the experience opened her eyes to the broader impact nurses can have beyond the clinical setting. "A lot of people don't realize that nurses can be involved in legislation and policy," she notes.

Chaouali's interest in health policy mirrors her growing passion for community-level care. She added a public health minor to her nursing degree and took global health courses. Now co-oping in labor and delivery at UC Medical Center, she hopes to build a career in women's health and eventually teach or pursue global health work.

As the team prepares to compete nationally against students from several universities across the country, Chaouali remains optimistic. "We're hoping to get No. 1, we really want to bring it home."

As Ohio continues to confront one of the nation's highest rates of opioid-related deaths, this statewide pilot program - which would require $750,000 per year, primarily funded through the OneOhio Recovery Foundation - aims to improve access to methadone treatment for individuals recovering from opioid use disorder.

The two-year initiative would partner with licensed opioid treatment programs to use the remote monitoring system Sonara and provide eligible patients with 7-28 days of take-home medication, replacing daily clinic visits with a virtual dosing process.

This approach aims to reduce transportation barriers, one of the top obstacles for treatment in Hamilton County, while maintaining patient safety. At the conclusion of the program, the state would evaluate outcomes including treatment retention, patient satisfaction, cost savings, employment stability and opioid-related deaths.

The initiative would modernize methadone delivery, improve treatment retention, reduce relapse risk and expand access for rural and working Ohioans, offering a cost-effective tool in the state's ongoing response to the opioid epidemic.