Ophelia Drafts Former Babylon, Omada Execs in Leadership Team Expansion

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Mar 30, 2023, 10:00 ET

Opioid addiction treatment innovator adds Alexandra Minarik as Chief Commercial Officer and Chris Sharon as Chief Operating Officer
With deep experience across value-based care, Medicaid populations, and chronic condition management, Minarik and Sharon join Ophelia's mission to mainstream medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder

NEW YORK, March 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Opioid addiction care provider Ophelia today announced the hires of Alexandra Minarik as Chief Commercial Officer and Chris Sharon as Chief Operating Officer. Arriving with extensive healthcare experience in prior leadership roles at Babylon Health, Omada Health, Evolent Health and Elevance Health (formerly Anthem), the two will be central in growing Ophelia's health plan and geographic footprint as it expands patient access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD).

Opioid-involved overdose deaths are rising, aided in recent years by the introduction of synthetic opioid fentanyl into the illicit drug supply chain. Now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50, opioid use disorder is also treatable. Unfortunately, 80% of Americans living with OUD do not not receive any form of treatment. Those who do receive treatment often do so through programs not rooted in evidence-based principles, including abstinence-based rehabs and short-term-only detox programs. 66% of rehabs do not provide any form of medication-assisted treatment, contributing to a dismal 90% relapse rate within a year of discharge from rehab.

Medication-assisted treatment is the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies. The evidence-based treatment approach is highly effective, reducing overdoses by 76%, reducing ER visits by 32%, reducing cravings, decreasing withdrawal symptoms and reducing total cost of care by $10,000 per patient per year. Time and again, medication-assisted treatment for OUD has proven to have better outcomes than any other treatment approach, positioning it as the gold standard of care for those grappling with opioid use.

"We're honored to welcome Lexie and Chris to the Ophelia team. Both will have an immediate impact as we work to make lifesaving treatment accessible to more patients, especially those in underserved rural and Medicaid populations who need us most," said Zack Gray, Ophelia co-founder and CEO.

Alexandra joins Ophelia from digital primary care provider Babylon Health, where as Executive Director, Contracts, she oversaw contracting for revenue-generating partnership opportunities. Prior to Babylon, Alexandra was Vice President, Growth, for Evolent Health, responsible for payer growth strategy for the company's risk-bearing ACO division Evolent Care Partners. Before Evolent, Alexandra held a range of strategic partner-facing management roles at Anthem (now Elevance Health).

"Ophelia is at the vanguard of delivering effective, proven treatment for one of the world's deadliest diseases," said Minarik. "I look forward to helping expand Ophelia's reach with forward-thinking public and commercial payers who understand that Ophelia's treatment model aligns both cost and outcomes better than any legacy addiction treatment model."

Chris joins Ophelia after seven years with diabetes prevention and management provider Omada Health, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Care Delivery and Operations. Prior to Omada, Chris worked in leadership and analyst roles at Single Stop and the RAND Corporation.

"We can and must do better in expanding access to care for the most vulnerable among us, no matter their socioeconomic status or where they reside," said Sharon. "Ophelia is a beacon of light for those struggling with OUD, and I look forward to bringing our treatment model to those who need it most."

About Ophelia
Ophelia is a digital provider of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD), committed to making evidence-based treatment universally accessible. Its mission is to remove barriers for the 80% of Americans with OUD who are unable to access care and the 50,000+ MAT clinicians who are unable to treat patients due to a lack of infrastructure, training, and support. At its core is the Ophelia Care Model, a team-based clinical model and software platform developed by leading experts in addiction medicine and psychiatry. Ophelia is licensed to provide care in 36 states and contracted with Medicaid, Medicare, and Commercial insurers covering 85 million American lives.

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SOURCE Ophelia