For Jonathon Vizmeg, the opioid epidemic is more than a news headline — it’s personal.
After losing his stepbrother to an overdose, Vizmeg set out to find a better way to support people recovering from opioid use disorder. To advance his vision, he enrolled in the University of Utah’s Master of Business Creation (MBC) program, which provided crucial mentorship and strategic insights. The structured support from MBC accelerated the development of his startup, Node — a Salt Lake City-based company that is using smart technology to bridge the gap between medication and meaningful support.
“After talking with counselors, I realized that restricting access to recovery medication is not the answer, nor is prescribing it without clinic involvement,” said Vizmeg. “What people need most is support. Not punishment. Not shame.”
With a degree in biomedical engineering and experience in pharmaceutical development, Vizmeg knew how to build things. But it was listening to clinics, counselors, and patients that helped him shape Node’s mission: make medication safer, and recovery more human.
Node is a personalized medication dispensing platform that helps patients stick to their treatment plans, while also giving counselors the tools to better understand and encourage their patients. When someone begins recovery treatment, they meet with a counselor who customizes daily questions about information such as stress levels and drug use, as well as personal reflection questions like “What have you been most proud of in the past 24 hours?”
From there, Node becomes a daily companion. The device reminds patients to take their medication and prompts them to answer short, introspective questions that track mental, emotional, and physical progress. This simple act of reflection, paired with counselor check-ins and safe dosage delivery, helps foster a sense of accountability and care.
“Think of us as a cheerleader,” Vizmeg said. “We’re not here to judge. We’re here to support patients, celebrate their wins, and help them meet their goals, just like anyone else.”
By combining compassion with technology, Node is rethinking what recovery can look like and building a future where healing is personal, supported, and possible.
To learn more, visit Node’s website here: nodedispensers.com/home.
