CALN — Brandywine Hospital shared with the community its plans to address the Opioid Overdose issue in Chester County at an event on June 23, 2021.
Event speakers included Claire Mooney, DNP, MBA, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brandywine Hospital, Marian D Moskowitz, Chair, Board of Commissioners, County of Chester Commissioners’ Office, and Wei Du, MD, Chair of Psychiatry at Brandywine Behavioral Health.
Commissioner Moskowitz provided an overview of the Chester County and Coatesville data for overdose deaths, noting that Coatesville accounted for 17 percent of overdose deaths from 2015-2021. Commissioner Moskowitz described the local and regional initiatives focusing on opioid abuse prevention, education, and treatment. “Opioid abuse is an important issue, and is critical to community health,” Commissioner Moskowitz said. “Addiction has a significant impact on everyone—family, friends, co-workers. Addressing this issue requires a multi-faceted approach. I look forward to partnering with Brandywine Hospital in combating this issue.”
Dr. Du shared that substance abuse was often not a singular problem, but a system problem, and as such was a challenge to address. A significant percentage of people suffer with both a substance use disorder and mental illness, making treatment harder to deal with. Medication Assisted Treatment occurs in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings, and the warm hand-off from one level of care to another level is critical to retain the individual in care. “I am so happy to be part of this important initiative,” stated Dr. Du.
Dr. Claire Mooney shared that the Brandywine Hospital Opioid Stewardship Task Force Program is comprised of a Clinical Task Force with representatives across the continuum of care, provider and nursing education on non-opioid pain management, and standardizing clinical practice. Brandywine Hospital prevention initiatives include a community Narcan Training event, Narcan for Families of Opioid Use Disorder patients, and Medication Take-Back events. Opioid community education will be incorporated at upcoming community events, and community support will connect individuals to support groups, such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholic Anonymous, and services, such as Council of Southeast PA. “We ask you to join us in this important community effort,” said Dr. Mooney.
