The Naloxone Project
Utah Chapter
The National Naloxone Project: Utah Chapter Advisory Council was established in 2025. Its membership includes clinical providers and organizational leaders representing Utah hospitals, the Utah Medical Association, the Utah Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (including the Violence and Injury Prevention Program), the Utah Hospital Association, the Utah Pharmacy Association, and Comagine Health. The Council is co-chaired by Dr. Caroline Vines and Dr. Melissa Cheng.
The Council initiated its work by identifying funding opportunities, conducting a statewide hospital readiness assessment, and developing educational materials aligned with Utah state rules and regulations.
Utah Leadership
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Dr. Caroline Vines- Co-Chair
Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at LDS Hospital
Dr. Vines is a practicing board-certified emergency physician. After completing residency training with the University of Utah Affiliated Residency Program, she joined Utah Emergency Physicians and has been a practicing clinician in multiple emergency departments across the Salt Lake City area since 2012. She has served as Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at LDS Hospital since 2020. She is passionate about quality improvement and finding ways to strengthen the systems in which we deliver care, particularly through the Electronic Medical Record, for patients with pneumonia and substance use disorder. She has led programs to initiate Medication-Assisted Treatment for patients with Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Department and has worked with teams at Intermountain to ensure that appropriate patients go home from all system EDs with naloxone in hand.
Dr. Melissa Cheng- Co-Chair
Medical Director, Comagine Health [SC1]
Dr. Melissa Cheng is a dual board-certified physician in addiction medicine and occupational medicine, with a focus on improving health outcomes for individuals affected by substance use. She played a key role in establishing the University of Utah’s Inpatient Addiction Consult Service, where she has worked since its beginning to increase access to evidence-based care and reduce stigma within the hospital. Recently, she launched a new clinic at the University of Utah Pain Management Center dedicated to addressing addiction and substance use issues, integrating comprehensive addiction treatment with multidisciplinary pain management. Through these roles, she continues to develop integrated, patient-centered approaches that support recovery, function, and long-term well-being. Dr. Cheng also serves as Medical Director at Comagine Health.