The Center for Addiction Medicine at Denver Health
At Denver Health’s Center for Addiction Medicine every door is an opportunity. Doors lead to new beginnings. Doors open to hope. At the Center for Addiction Medicine, there are no wrong doors. The center brings Denver Health’s broad range of addiction programs and medical resources into a single place, providing comprehensive treatment options, mindful of the stigma of substance use.
The Center for Addiction Medicine is a Denver Health initiative dedicated to combating the damage being done to our community by the disease of addiction. In 2024, 1,603 people died of drug overdose in Colorado. Behind every statistic is a person: a unique individual with a family and a community.
Denver Health is on the frontline of this public health crisis. From first responders and social workers to emergency and primary care providers, our system-wide continuum of care ensures patients are stabilized and successfully treated at the right level of integrated physical and behavioral health care. The Center for Addiction Medicine is bringing these dedicated professionals together in an unprecedented effort to try to prevent more deaths and increase long-term recovery.
Goals, Vision and Guiding Principles
Strategic Goals
The Center for Addiction Medicine established a new strategic plan for 2025-2029:
Governing Structure
A governance structure has been established to achieve the strategic goals of the Center for Addiction Medicine, as well as to provide guidance and accountability. The Governing Council supports coordination of efforts across Denver Health’s array of care sites and with services in the community. Members include representatives from the executive leadership team and champions from each department across the system.
Ready to Begin Substance Treatment or Have Questions?
- Please call our Substance Treatment Phone Line at 303-436-5711.
- Calls are answered Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (excluding holidays)
- This line is staffed by experienced substance treatment experts who can provide brief screening, recommendations, and guidance to individuals, friends/families, and other professionals on accessing substance treatment both here at Denver Health, and through other programs in our Denver community and surrounding areas.
Contact Us
- For professional technical assistance or information on implementation of the Center for Addiction Medicine, please email CAM@dhha.org.
- For all other Denver Health services, please call 303-436-6000.
Center for Addiction Medicine Staff
- Dr. Chris Thurstone – CAM Executive Sponsor
- Mark Wright – CAM Executive Sponsor
- Kris Gaw – CAM Executive Sponsor
- Dr. Bob Belknap – CAM Executive Sponsor
- Dr. Judy Shlay – CAM Medical Director + Inclusive and Compassionate Care Co-Lead
- Brooke Bender – CAM Administrative Director + Fiscal Growth and Financial Partnership Lead + CAM Familiarity and Value Lead
- John Mills - CAM Academy Learning and Organizational Development Manager + CAM Academy Co-Lead
- Helen Burnside – CAM Academy Co-Lead
- Dr. Sarah Christensen – Medical Director for CAM Academy
- Andrea Bailey – CAM Continuum of Care Co-Lead
- Zachary Scott – CAM Continuum of Care Co-Lead
- Holly Witt – CAM Continuum of Care Co-Lead
- Sarah Belstock – CAM Community Voice Co-Lead
- Alma Mireles – CAM Community Voice Co-Lead
- Alia Al-Tayyib – CAM Knowledge Management Research Lead
- Emily Bacon – CAM Knowledge Management Strategy Lead
- Dean McEwen – CAM Knowledge Management Senior Leader
- Alex Tillman – CAM Knowledge Management Evaluation Lead
- Dane Roper – CAM Communications Support
- Allison Barth – CAM Lean Strategic Planning Support
