“We now have over 600 people in active treatment for an opioid use disorder,” Carilion Clinic’s new bridge program works perfectly
ROANOKE, Virginia – This week, we’ve been talking about how our towns are making progress in the fight against addiction. First, we looked at the data on overdose deaths from last year. Then, we looked at how well harm reduction has worked. We met with people in charge of the state to find out how a grant is helping services all over the Commonwealth. And we’ve heard from a service provider that pregnant and new moms can get help.
We also checked on a program that seemed to help people get from the emergency room to treatment.
A few years ago, people in charge at Carilion Clinic Roanoke Memorial Hospital said that more than 80% of the people who went to the emergency room would never go to a follow-up appointment.
Things have changed.
Dr. Robert Trestman said, “We now have over 600 people getting help for an opioid use disorder.” “Most of them are on medications to treat opioid use disorder, which are usually based on buprenorphine, and this has been working very, very well.”
He is in charge of psychiatry at the Carilion Clinic and the VTC School of Medicine. He said that in 2018, Carilion set up a program to help people get to the hospital to start treatment.
Patients are now greeted by peer support specialists who guide them through medication for opioid use disorder, group therapy, and setting up follow-up appointments.
“We see them in a gap care clinic for up to three months after they leave the emergency room,” Trestman said. “This is to make sure they can get care afterward.”
Now, the numbers are backwards in the emergency room. Trestman said that between 70 and 80% of the people who go to the ER end up at the bridge clinic. And with the right treatment, they cut down or stop using opioids by 60–70% over the course of six months to a year.
“When people get the care they need and deserve and are treated with respect and dignity. It’s been wonderful.”
Even though the news is getting better, there are still problems. Overdose deaths have gone through the roof in the past few years, and the pandemic is a big reason why. And while doctors have found effective ways to treat opioid use disorder, treatments for stimulants and synthetic drugs are less clear and getting murkier by the day.
“Black tar heroin isn’t the same as it was 40 or 50 years ago,” Trestman said. “We’ve seen fentanyl pills that look like candies. We’re seeing drugs like xylazine and nitazines, which are often called “Frankenstein drugs” because they kill so well, make their way into the market.
Dr. Trestman knows that the community doesn’t have enough resources to help everyone who needs it. But he and his team are still going to try.
“These people are important. He said, “These are not people you can just throw away.” “These are people who live in our communities and who, once they get better, can help their families and communities in important ways. So, it’s very important for us to think about the resources we’ll get back as a community if we put money into their recovery.
Dr. Trestman says that this hospital also has an opioid stewardship program. This means that they are trying to be more careful about how they give out opioids. Even though there is still a lot of work to do on all fronts, he says they now have a base on which to build more resources.
If you are having trouble with a drug use disorder, you should go to the hospital. There, they will help you get the care you need.
But we know it can be hard to figure out how to get treatment. So, on Friday at the WDBJ7+ Digital News Desk, we’ll have two local recovery experts live with us to talk about how you can start your journey to recovery and who can help you along the way.
