The opiate crisis is a major public health crisis for our community. The BC Center on Substance Use (BCCSU) has recommended the discontinuation of rapid withdrawal practices due to the low rates of continued abstinence and increased risk of overdose with relapse. Future removal of the ‘Opiate Withdrawal PPO’ from use in hospitals will decrease the available therapy options to patients with opiate use disorder.
The VJH Medical staff is helping to address this crisis through training incentives (1-hour sessional time reimbursement) to ensure there isn’t a lack of trained personnel at VJH to assist with new starts of Suboxone.
The BCCSU provides a 1-hour online module that practitioners can complete to achieve the training they need to be comfortable and competent. The Facility Engagement Initiative (FEI) reimbursement will increase the completion rate of this program for physicians.
High rates of opiate overdose and increased risk of overdose with rapid withdrawal have created a time pressure to get alternative treatment plans in place to allow for the discontinuation of the Rapid Opiate Withdrawal Protocol. 15 Hospitalists and approximately 30 Family Physicians, 5 Internal Medicine MDs and 16 Emergency Physicians have indicated an interest in taking the 1-hour course. FEI funding will increase the completion rate of Suboxone training for medical staff to provide care for patients with opiate use disorder, improve the time-frame to initiate removal of the VJH Opiate Withdrawal Protocol, and engage physicians to complete training in the treatment of opiate use disorder.