June 2026 Advocacy Champion

Robert “Cole” Pueringer, MD

Medical Toxicologist, Addiction Medicine Specialist, and Hospitalist
Essentia Health

1. Why is being an advocate so important to you?
I think advocacy is one of the most effective ways to overcome systemic barriers to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, particularly in rural/Northern MN. In addition, it's one of several ways to meaningfully combat the stigma associated with the disease of addiction.

2. What healthcare related issue(s) have you advocated for over the past year?
Primarily increasing access to buprenorphine. Northern MN has the highest overdose rates in the state. Psychosocial treatments have miserable success rates with opioid use disorder (OUD). We are limited to buprenorphine and methadone, both of which are profoundly effective. We have three methadone clinics north of the Twin Cities, which makes Northern MN heavily dependent on buprenorphine, which is limited by providers willing/able to prescribe the life-saving medication. In short, we want pharmacists to be able to prescribe buprenorphine for withdrawal management and for initiation/maintenance therapy in OUD. Importantly, this does not replace physician visits, but complements them, and will substantially increase access to buprenorphine, particularly in rural parts of the state. Moreover, pharmacies will have the capacity to store and administer long-acting injectable buprenorphine formulations, which is the future of buprenorphine administration.

3.  What advice would you offer to others who are interested in advocacy?  
Build a solid group of like-minded individuals, and don’t hesitate to reach out to others for help and guidance. I certainly had no idea what was needed or which direction to go; my pharmacy colleagues did the heavy lifting.