AKRON: Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro and County Council on Monday night awarded Cleveland Clinic Akron General $500,000 to continue its successful Recovery’s in Reach program that offers immediate access to help for people with substance use disorder (SUD) through the hospital’s four Emergency Departments.
The program began in April of 2022 and was initially funded by a $1 million grant from the Summit County Opiate Abatement Advisory Council. To date, it has identified 1,513 patients who suffer from SUD. Recovery Coordinators have been able to refer or place 645 patients into outpatient or inpatient recovery centers.
In the program, emergency patients who are identified as needing help with SUD are matched with a Peer Recovery Coach from Catholic Charities onsite. The patients also see a registered nurse experienced in behavioral health and addiction services, who ensures that they get long-term supportive care to address their issues.
All patients who have been affected by SUD are offered help, including at-risk populations, such as the homeless and those with mental illness. Patients seen in Akron General’s PATH Center, which provides care to victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse, human trafficking, elder abuse and neglect, as well as pregnant women are also referred when care is needed.
“The opiate crisis in Summit County has crippled the health and well-being of our community for many years,” said Lead Program Coordinator Jonathan Sanchez, MBA, BSN, RN, who is the nurse manager of Akron General’s main campus emergency department. “Recovery’s in Reach has already helped so many people in this community and we are very appreciative of the Summit County Council providing additional funding that enables us to continue this work into the future.”