网曝门事件

In 2018, CA Bridge set out to improve the model for substance use treatment. The program provides training, coaching and grant funding to expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use withdrawal. Patients also engage with a substance use navigator who helps connect them to immediate and ongoing treatment, if desired.

CA Bridge was founded on three core pillars:

1. Treatment through immediate access to low-barrier MAT
2. Culture of harm reduction
3. Connection to additional resources through trained substance use navigators

Originally, funding for CA Bridge provided resources for 52 hospitals statewide, seven of which were 网曝门事件 Health facilities. 鈥淲e commend 网曝门事件 Health leadership for their initiative in implementing the program鈥攖hey've paved the way statewide,鈥� shares Elizabeth Keating, clinical program director for CA Bridge. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really pleased with the system-level engagement.鈥�

The team at 网曝门事件 Health Ukiah Valley, in particular, has been a shining example of successful implementation. 鈥淯kiah Valley has reinvented the idea of patient navigation for substance use treatment,鈥� says Keating.

A new model for navigating substance use treatment

Mendocino County has the highest number of opioid overdose deaths per capita in the state, explains Erica Valdovinos, MD. Dr. Valdovinos is an emergency medicine physician at 网曝门事件 Health Ukiah Valley and an implementation leader with CA Bridge.

鈥淧atients in our area often struggle to access medical care in general and travel great distances to get treatment,鈥� Dr. Valdovinos says. 鈥淚n our community, we have built a reputation that patients can come to us for substance use treatment. All our staff are strong in their ability to care for patients with substance use disorder.鈥�

With CA Bridge, patients in the emergency department can request treatment for substance use, and a trained navigator helps them get a follow-up appointment within days. The navigators assist with a myriad of other tasks, such as enrolling in health insurance or helping patients figure out where to pick up medications.

鈥淲hat makes Ukiah鈥檚 program so special is the dedication of our substance use navigators,鈥� says Elvia Hamner, project manager for the substance use navigators at 网曝门事件 Health. 鈥淭hey are true advocates when patients can鈥檛 advocate for themselves.鈥�

Emphasis on stigma reduction

Marika Martinez and Austin Peterson, the substance use navigators at 网曝门事件 Health Ukiah Valley, share that their work can be incredibly rewarding, albeit its challenges. 鈥淥ne of the most rewarding parts of my job is building a relationship with someone who started out very angry and guarded,鈥� Martinez says. 鈥淪ome patients feel like they鈥檝e been written off and that everyone is against them鈥攚e get to be the voice who helps change that perception.鈥�

Peterson notes that a key part of their role is to screen patients for their willingness to engage in treatment. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not here to talk about the risks or harms of substance use, or even to try to convince them to stop,鈥� he explains. 鈥淎 lot of folks in the medical setting are taking on that conversation. As substance use navigators, we do our best in a crisis situation to build rapport, and through that relationship, allow patients to ask for help.鈥�

This approach is an outgrowth of CA Bridge鈥檚 emphasis on stigma reduction. 鈥淪ubstance use disorder is a chronic illness and it is treatable, much like diabetes or hypertension,鈥� says Dr. Valdovinos. 鈥淎n approach that combines medications and intervention from the substance use navigators has demonstrated success. Just as in the treatment of diabetes or hypertension, shame and stigma have no role. Our navigators are shining examples of treating people with compassion and respect.鈥�

Meeting patients where they are

Today, navigators supported by CA Bridge have seen 333,625 patients across California for substance use disorders, and nearly one-third have been prescribed or administered MAT. 鈥淲e would eventually love to be so successful that we don鈥檛 have to exist,鈥� says Keating. However, CA Bridge and the substance use navigators are still filling a critical need. 鈥淎fter five years, we still haven鈥檛 鈥榝ixed it,鈥欌�� Peterson says. 鈥淭hat fact alone illustrates the necessity of this job for our community.鈥�

The substance use navigators are currently deployed at 19 of the 网曝门事件 Health hospitals in California. Fourteen of those sites have received funding to continue supporting the navigators鈥� work for the rest of the year. In Mendocino County, 网曝门事件 Health has made the navigators into sustained positions, regardless of grant funding.  

All involved agree that connecting with and supporting patients is the most impactful parts of CA Bridge. 鈥淐linicians, often want to fix things. In my previous role as a substance use navigator, there were times I felt I wasn't doing enough,鈥� says Hamner. 鈥淏ut it always goes back to meeting patients where they are to get them the help they need.鈥�

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