Pubdate: Sat, 20 Jun 2015
Source: Sun Times, The (Owen Sound, CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Owen Sound Sun Times
Contact: http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/letters
Website: http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1544
Author: Denis Langlois
Page: A1

HOSPITALS TAKING NEW APPROACH TO ADDICTION

New Referal, Follow-Up System Coming

Patients who show up at a Grey Bruce Health Services' emergency room 
with an opioid or alcohol-related condition will soon be referred for 
follow-up to a rapid access clinic in Owen Sound.

It's one of the components of a multi-hospital project, which 
includes GBHS's six sites, aimed at improving care for people with an 
opioid or alcohol use disorder.

The project, funded by Health Quality Ontario, will also involve 
training and education for hospital staff as well as mentoring 
support for people with addictions.

"I think it's going to provide a very necessary process for patients 
to receive the integrated care that all Ontarians should be able to 
receive," said Mark Weston, project lead and manager of withdrawal 
management services at GBHS.

GBHS will receive $60,000 over two years to fund the project, which 
is still in its early stages locally.

Weston said roughly 100 to 150 people a year show up at a GBHS 
emergency room due to an addiction to alcohol or drugs like 
Oxy-Contin, codeine, morphine or heroin.

Many are going through an opioid withdrawal and are seeking more pills.

Health Quality Ontario says those patients are typically treated and released.

"Opioid and alcohol withdrawal patients are rarely referred to 
ongoing treatment upon discharge from an emergency department. Those 
who are referred often must wait months to begin a treatment program 
and are not linked to supports once they complete it," says a news 
release from the independent government agency, which advises on the 
quality of health care in Ontario.

"Furthermore, many primary care providers have indicated that they do 
not feel comfortable or experienced enough in managing addictions in 
their patients." The META: PHI project - which stands for mentorship, 
education and training in addictions: primary care-hospital 
integration - aims to change that.

As part of the project, emergency department staff will be trained to 
use withdrawal protocols and anti-craving medications will be added 
to emergency rooms, according to GBHS.

A rapid access addiction medicine clinic will be established and 
operate each Thursday afternoon at the Grey Bruce Health Unit. 
Patients will be seen at the clinic within seven days of referral.

A physician will staff the clinic, Weston said, and offer patients 
counselling, addiction medicines and connect them with addiction 
programs and self-help groups.

Doctors will also provide ongoing mentorship and clinical support for 
addiction management.

Physicians, nurses and social workers will be trained in addiction 
management and treatment.

The cost of opioid addiction is estimated at $40 billion annually in 
Canada, says GBHS.

An untreated opiate addict costs the health system $50,000 per year. 
A treated addict in opioid replacement therapy costs the system about 
$ 5,000 per year.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom