Doctors Hospital of Manteca program aides patients with substance use disorders

Doctors Hospital of Manteca recently received a grant from the California Bridge Program (CA Bridge) to place substance use navigators in its emergency department to help treat patients battling substance use disorders.

Substance use navigators (SUN) are a vital part of successful treatment for substance use disorders, working both in the hospital and the community to connect people to treatment. SUNs make a measurable impact for patients presenting in the emergency department by:

• Streamlining care for people who use drugs
• Reducing the number of substance use disorder-related hospital readmissions
• Improving provider satisfaction caring for patients who use drugs
• Saving lives through facilitating interventions focused on harm-reduction interventions

“When patients who use drugs come to the emergency department, our navigators can transform a patient’s visit into a positive, life-changing moment. In many cases, the navigators are the most important advocate for patients with substance use disorders,” said Eleze Armstrong, CEO of Doctors Hospital of Manteca. “Our navigators are helping people avoid the harms of substance use and helping them engage in treatment that works for them.”

SUNs enhance access to round-the-clock treatment for patients with chronic medical substance use disorders by acting as the frontline for initiating treatment. The best outcomes for these patients occur when they are retained in long-term recovery treatment with medications to ease symptoms of withdrawal and begin maintenance treatment. Studies have shown that initiating treatment and providing medication designed for addiction treatment are more likely to result in patients remaining in care and having better long-term outcomes than those who are given referral information alone.

The navigator program works through the following steps:

• Patient Identification – The on-site provider team rapidly identifies patients suffering from a substance use disorder as the patient arrives in the emergency department. They provide same-day treatment in response to the patient’s needs.
• Community Connection – The SUN connects with the patient prior to hospital discharge and connects them with the appropriate community-based services to support their journey such as financial counseling, primary care, mental health services, social services, and residential treatment facilities.
• Patient Follow-Up – One to two days post discharge, the SUN follows up with the patient by phone and ensures the patient has connected with their needed services.

Doctors Hospital of Manteca’s sister hospital in Modesto, Doctors Medical Center, also has substance use navigators in place within its emergency department, providing additional patient-focused care for individuals with substance use disorders in California.