Marshall Health is supporting substance use disorder (SUD) programs in hospitals across southern West Virginia thanks to funding from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Overdose Data to Action grant.
The first program, called Reverse the Cycle (RTC), was developed by the Maryland-based consulting firm Mosaic. RTC integrates individuals in long-term recovery from SUD known as peer recovery support specialists into the hospital setting to work with medical providers. The support specialists help ensure all persons presenting for service, regardless of medical conditions, are screened for high-risk alcohol, illicit drug and prescription misuse. RTC incorporates evidence-based practices including the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model, the Overdose Survivors Outreach Program (OSOP); and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) initiation in emergency departments.
“The Reverse the Cycle program is a collaborative effort between hospital emergency room providers, behavioral health agencies and those who have lived the recovery experience,” said Beth Welsh, associate director of addiction sciences at Marshall Health’s department of family and community health. “Working together, we meet persons with substance use disorder where they present, assess their readiness for change and assist them in finding a path to recovery.”
The Reverse the Cycle program is now in these southern West Virginia hospitals: Beckley ARH Hospital, Bluefield Regional Medical Center, Boone Memorial Health, Cabell Huntington Hospital, Logan Regional Medical Center, Princeton Community Hospital, Raleigh General Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Summers County ARH Hospital and Welch Community Hospital. Since the program was initiated, more than 200,000 persons presenting at the emergency room have been screened. More than 1,000 individuals have been linked to treatment.
In addition to RTC, Marshall Health has also collaborated with Vandalia Health’s Charleston Area Medical Centers to support their hospital-based comprehensive substance use disorder initiatives that rely on the same evidence-based components as the RTC program.
