Begin Main Content Area

 PA.Media.BreadCrumbs - MediaBreadCrumbs

Media > Health > Details

Wolf Administration: Warm Hand-Offs Help Transition Overdose Survivors to Treatment

04/27/2018

Harrisburg, PA – Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) Secretary Jennifer Smith and Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine today joined with partners in the drug and alcohol treatment and emergency physician communities to discuss takeaways and next steps following regional summits held to discuss warm hand-off programs around the commonwealth.

The summits were held through March and April and brought together stakeholders from federal, state, and local governments; the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery landscape; health systems; and insurance carriers to share best practices and collaborate on developing next steps to address challenges in providing a warm hand-off to patients treated for an opioid overdose. The goal is to strengthen warm hand-off programs around the commonwealth.

“As the commonwealth invests in naloxone to increase rescue opportunities for first responders around Pennsylvania, we must ensure that individuals who survive an overdose are given a warm hand-off and understand treatment options available in their community,” said DDAP Secretary Jennifer Smith. “Fighting this crisis requires coordination at all levels, and these summits allowed stakeholders to engage in open dialogue, establish new relationships, and work towards stronger partnerships that will get overdose survivors into the treatment they need to reach recovery.”

In February 2017, the departments of Drug and Alcohol Programs and Health, and Pennsylvania chapter of the College of Emergency Physicians released a clinical pathway designed to create an easy transition from care for an opioid overdose to treatment for an opioid use disorder. County drug and alcohol authorities are now required to establish a warm hand-off policy as part of the 2015-2020 grant agreement between DDAP and the Single County Authorities (SCAs).

Warm hand-off programs exist around the commonwealth at varying levels of implementation, and summits were held to address challenges and facilitate partnerships to share best practices and devise solutions. Evaluations completed by summit participants found that 93 percent of participants learned at least one idea to improve their warm hand-off process and discovered ways to collaborate with other stakeholders to achieve better results for patients with a substance use disorder. Additionally, 85 percent of participants said that they intend to pursue at least one idea mentioned by each summit’s key presenter.

“The warm hand-off convenings allowed us to discuss the importance of the warm handoff process with the numerous stakeholders who play a role in helping to get a person into treatment,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “This facilitated referral is often the first step toward recovery. Treatment works and recovery is possible for those who are struggling with the disease of opioid use disorder.”

The six regional convenings were organized as part of Pennsylvania’s year-one 21stCentury Cures Act grant funding. Strengthening warm hand-off processes remains a priority for Pennsylvania’s second year of Cures Act funding, which was announced earlier this week.

The secretaries were joined by Dr. Charles Barbera, emergency medicine department chair at Reading Hospital, and Kami Anderson, executive director of the Armstrong Indiana Clinton Drug and Alcohol Commission, who shared stories of their successes implementing warm hand-off programs in their communities.

For more information about warm hand-off and the clinical pathway, visit http://www.ddap.pa.gov/Pages/Warm-Hand-Off.aspx.

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Ali Fogarty, DDAP, 717-547-3314

Nate Wardle, DOH, 717-787-1783

 

###

 

 Content Editor

 PA.AgencyPortal.Media - MediaPageTitle