Peer recovery and outreach coaches from five District hospitals gathered for an in-person meeting at Unity Health Care, a community health center, on September 9. The group met to discuss strategies for eliminating barriers and increasing community support for patients entering substance use treatment programs. For the peers, having a strong relationship with community partners is a key component of the referral process, and often determines whether a patient is linked to treatment.

“I loved putting a face to the name of providers we talk to every week,” said Veronica Williams, a hospital-based peer recovery coach from Centro médico unido. “The in-person meeting was great because we got to experience the facility first-hand and got to interact with the people who we are sending our patients to, to help them know what to expect when they arrive.”

Community-based coaches also reiterate the importance of community collaboration in supporting patients in finding long-term recovery.  “It was an amazing experience to meet the people at Unity, see their facility and discuss our roles in health care together. It really adds to the sense of community we are trying to establish as peers when we can get together to have a discussion on how to best serve our patient population and community at large!” said Thaddeus Wientzen, an outreach coach from Hospital Universitario MedStar de Georgetown.

A patient’s experience at a treatment center has a strong impact on their overall recovery and a negative experience can deter a patient from wanting to enter treatment again. Part of the role of the hospital-based peers is to motivate patients to enter treatment and that includes finding the right treatment provider for each individual. Face-to-face meetings and facility tours help the coaches determine the right place for each patient.

“Visiting Unity Health Care’s East of the River location was very insightful. I personally did not know all the different aspects of the center and learned that there were walk-in hours for MAT patients. I have always had an excellent experience whenever I have used Unity’s services for referrals,” said William Ellis, an outreach coach from Hospital de la Universidad de Howard.

Providing accessible community support is something Unity Health Care does every day by providing a full range of health and human services to meet community needs throughout the District. Nine Unity Health Care sites are fast-track providers for hospital referrals, working with peers to provide same-day or next-day appointments for substance use patients.

Unity Health Care’s Behavioral Health Program Manager Mary Wozniak shared that “meeting with the hospital peers was valuable to understand their perspectives and to reiterate the need for improved access to care with no barriers. When a patient is ready to access treatment, it’s best to connect them immediately, or you risk them returning to drug use. We hope that our open access model will help address some of that need.”

Note: All participants received a COVID-19 screening upon entry and followed CDC guidance on vaccination, mask wearing and social distancing.

L-R: Corrine Simons, William Ellis, Mary Wozniak, Dr. Andrew Robie, Ean Bond, Thaddeus Wientzen, Veronica Williams

#Treatment
#Substance Use Disorder
#DCHA
#Collaboration
#Community
#Hospitals
#Sustainability

Las enfermedades crónicas son un problema grave para los residentes y los proveedores de atención médica del Distrito de Columbia. Con las tasas de obesidad y diabetes de los residentes en un punto crítico alto (Obesidad: Adultos 22%, Estudiantes de secundaria 15%, Diabetes: 8.5%, At-Risk for Diabetes 6.55%), ya no se puede ignorar el vínculo entre el consumo de azúcar y las enfermedades crónicas. La reducción y eliminación de las bebidas azucaradas, así como la educación pública sobre opciones dietéticas más saludables, es un imperativo para avanzar hacia una comunidad más saludable.

Con ese fin, DCHA ha estado trabajando con el Departamento de Salud de DC (DOH) en una iniciativa para reducir la disponibilidad de bebidas azucaradas y promover opciones más saludables dentro de los hospitales del Distrito.  A través del programa, DCHA pedirá a los hospitales del Distrito que se comprometan a:

• Realizar cambios saludables en las máquinas expendedoras, cafeterías, reuniones, eventos y otras fuentes de bebidas azucaradas en el lugar de trabajo.
• Identificar y utilizar proveedores, empresas de catering y otros proveedores de alimentos que ofrezcan opciones de bebidas más saludables.
• Contar con apoyo de liderazgo y modelo de reducción de bebidas azucaradas en la planta.
• Educar a los empleados sobre consumo saludable y promoción de alternativas más saludables.
• Reducir y, en última instancia, eliminar las bebidas azucaradas.

Sibley Memorial Hospital, parte de Johns Hopkins Medicine, fue el primer hospital del Distrito en crear e implementar un programa de reducción y eliminación, pero varios otros no se quedan atrás. Para aquellos interesados y capaces, DCHA planea ayudar a nuestros miembros en la implementación de programas de reducción de bebidas azucaradas en sus instalaciones. Al hacer nuestra parte, la Asociación también ha eliminado la disponibilidad de bebidas azucaradas para el personal y los asistentes a las reuniones en nuestra oficina.

DCHA actualizará nuestro sitio web para incluir información sobre la iniciativa de hospitales más saludables con bebidas azucaradas, incluidas herramientas y recursos para su centro.

Puede seguir la campaña Kick the Can de DCHA buscando #RepiensaTuBebida en Twitter.

#titulares
#DCHA
#Anuncio
#Sazúcar
#Bebida​​​
#DOH
#RepiensaTuBebida
#Saludable

Emergency codes are important announcements to ensure facilities operate in accordance with their mission and to the best of their capabilities. The Department of Homeland Security released a report in 2008 citing the importance of using standardized plain language codes. The report writes, “The use of plain language (clear text) in emergency management and incident response is a matter of public safety, especially the safety of emergency management/response personnel and those affected by the incident. It is critical that all those involved with an incident know and use commonly established operational structures, terminology, policies and procedures. This will facilitate interoperability across agencies, organizations, jurisdictions and disciplines.” The guidelines for standardized emergency codes have also been promoted by The Joint Commission for events or threats that can inflict harm on hospital staff, patients and visitors.

The District of Columbia Hospital Association’s (DCHA) hospital leaders see the value in creating uniform systems that enable their staff to be adequately informed during an emergency as well as equipping visitors with adequate information to protect themselves. This was important for the District’s hospitals as many of our staff are employed by multiple hospitals and often work between facilities. The DCHA Emergency Management Committee (EMC) completed a standardization initiative to enhance the emergency preparedness and response efforts for District hospitals’ staff, the patients they serve, and the communities they protect.

Leveraging the collective expertise, the EMC reviewed all member hospital codes for a series of emergency events/alerts. The Committee agreed to use a combination of color and plain language following national trends and best practices. It was further determined the minimum requirement for implementation would be to standardize the nomenclature (with a focus on plain language) and definition for the select emergency codes across the hospitals. Each facility would be given the flexibility to designate their color code for the specific emergency as they deemed appropriate.

#titulares
#Committee
#Emergency
#Hospitals