Baxter Health is expanding access to addiction treatment in North Central Arkansas with the addition of Dr. Blake Copeland to the Baxter Health Pain Clinic, addressing what hospital leadership says has been a significant gap in local health care.

Copeland, an internal medicine physician with more than a decade of experience in addiction medicine, will focus primarily on treating patients with substance use disorders while working alongside the Pain Clinic’s existing providers. Baxter Health says the move will allow patients dealing with both chronic pain and addiction to receive specialized, coordinated care locally rather than seeking separate providers or traveling outside the area.

Brian Barnett, vice president of Physician Enterprise and Business Development at Baxter Health, said expanding addiction medicine is important because substance use affects families throughout the region.

“Addiction touches a lot of families in our region, and access to a physician who specializes in this area of medicine has been a real gap,” Barnett said.

Copeland’s background includes work in hospital medicine, intensive care, primary care, hospice and medical leadership. Baxter Health says that experience has given him an understanding of how chronic pain, dependency and quality of life can overlap for patients with complex health conditions.

The expansion will also bring additional treatment options to the area, including Sublocade, a once-monthly buprenorphine injection used to treat opioid use disorder. Baxter Health says the treatment has not been widely available in the region, making its addition another step toward improving access to addiction care close to home.

“Blake brings clinical depth, leadership experience, and a genuine commitment to the patients who need this kind of care most,” Barnett said. “We are glad to have him here.”

Copeland earned his medical degree and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Memphis. His previous positions include chief medical officer of Arkansas Continued Care Hospital, leadership of intensive and cardiac care units at Baptist-Paragould and service as medical director for several long-term care, home health and hospice organizations.

Copeland began seeing patients in early September at the Baxter Health Pain Clinic. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 870-508-5900.

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