Friday, April 26, 2024
4/26/2024
Hartford HealthCare's Behavioral Health Network including Rushford Center and Natchaug Hospital, proposes to better serve our patients through the Connecticut Treatment Expansion for Accessibility (C-TEA) project which will increase access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for patients who struggle to access and/or are unlikely to follow up on their treatment without peer support. C-TEA plans to expand patient access through telehealth options, provider education, and additional Recovery Coaches through the HHC system. Opioid use is prevalent in Connecticut and C-TEA proposes to begin service expansion in the Central and East region, including Middlesex and New Haven counties in the Central region, and Tolland, Windham, and New London counties in the East region. The most recent Community Health Needs Assessment for these regions ranked substance abuse as the third highest priority health care need, citing heroin/opioids and prescription medications as the second most problematic substances abused after alcohol. A 2014 AHRQ analysis shows CT's rate/100K population of opioid-related inpatient hospital stays was 337.5 (7th in the nation and 50.3% above the US average of 224.6) and the rate of related ED visits at 254.6 (5th in the nation and 43.3% above the US average of 177.7). A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis shows that in 2015 opioid-related deaths/100K population in CT exceeded 15.1 (ranking 10th at 22.8) and the increase in CT opioid overdose deaths from 2005-2015 exceeded 250% (ranking CT among the top 6 in the US). Opioid use in Connecticut is a public health crisis. HHC BHN has reviewed the CT Medical Examiner's data on opioid overdose deaths in the State of Connecticut and matched it to HHC hospital records to identify deceased patients who had contract with our system in the 90 days prior to their death. We sued 90 days as an area of opportunity where intervention with harm reduction education and naloxone distribution, and engagement with Recovery Coaches and/or MAT induction may have impacted the outcome. The C-TEA model will allow the impact in decreased deaths to be measured. We know that, "Among opioid-dependent patients, ED-initiated buprenorphine...significantly increased engagement in addiction treatment, reduced self-reported illicit opioid use, and decreased use of inpatient addiction treatment." (Yale School of Medicine) In 2017, HHC's Midstate Medical Center introduced Recovery Coaches in the ED. In the first 4 months, 73 of the 76 patients coming in for treatment were connected to care either at a detoxification facility, inpatient or outpatient care, MAT, or other forms of community support. As a result of this data, the HHC BHN added Recovery Coaches to four HHC EDs. C-TEA hopes to extend access to Recovery Coaches into the EDs at Hartford Hospital and Charlotte Hungerford Hospitals, as well as to CMG and ICP.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
