Atrium Health's Opioid Response: What's Next

Atrium Health's approach to opioids reflects a steadfast commitment to improve the health of the communities we serve. Every year, our healthcare system touches the lives of millions. This presents a unique opportunity to identify trends across a network of 900+ locations. We learn from each patient interaction involving opioids and share lessons learned with our peers. This public health strategy is what's needed to turn around the opioid crisis across the Carolinas - and for all.

Over the next three years, Atrium Health will aim to show how early identification of risk factors reduces opioid overdoses, increases use of medication assisted treatment and alternative pain management therapies, and helps patients with opioid use disorders get the care they need. With $2.24 million in CDC funding, the Implementing a Multimodal Path to Recovery (IMPROVE) Pilot will document the benefits of PRIMUM and expand behavioral health screening in Atrium Health's acute care settings.

Through a separate pilot program funded by the North Carolina Hospitals Association, Atrium Health will incorporate peer support specialists into all emergency departments. These specialists will meet with patients who have overdosed or who have an existing substance use disorder and help to guide them and their families to recovery.