GLEN DALE, W.Va. – Three years ago, WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital partnered with Tritanium Solutions to bring BreakThru, a medically supervised withdrawal treatment program, to the Ohio Valley in an effort to tackle the growing opioid epidemic.
Since it began inSeptember 2015, the BreakThru program at Reynolds Memorial Hospital has enrolled more than 500 patients, with 85 percent having completed the program. BreakThru helps people who are struggling with the toughest parts of breaking an addiction to opioids, alcohol, and other drugs by using medications to ease the symptoms of withdrawal and monitoring patients to ensure safety.
“Our care model is based on an evidence-proven approach which medically stabilizes patients during the first days of the withdrawal process. Following this model, the Reynolds Memorial team has put many people on the path to recovery with a strong likelihood of beating their addiction long-term,” said Laura Outlaw, Chief Operating Officer of TriTanium Solutions, which contracts the BreakThru service to Reynolds Memorial Hospital. “We are grateful that our partnership with Reynolds has addressed an important healthcare need in the community by filling a gap in the continuum of care.”
According to the CDC, West Virginia has the highest rate of overdoses per capita, at 47.94 (per 100k residents). This is more than double the national average at 19.8.
“The statistics on substance abuse in West Virginia are staggering, and we saw the need for innovative care to treat this problem in our community,” David Hess, M.D., president and CEO of Reynolds Memorial, said. “The BreakThru program is the first of its kind in the tristate area. The program is completely confidential and patients are given a private room with limited visitors. Our patients are very appreciative of being treated in a non-psychiatric facility so that there is no stigma attached to their admission.”
Before patients are discharged from the program, they are provided with resources including referrals to outpatient treatment facilities and information on support meetings. BreakThru staff continue to follow up with patients at one-, three-, six-, and 12-months post-discharge.
The program is covered by most health insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid, and assistance is available for qualified, uninsured patients. BreakThru admissions are by appointment only, and the patient must be drug- and alcohol-free for 24 hours prior to admission.
In 2016, the BreakThru program at Reynolds Memorial received the Community Outreach Award from the United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia.
For more information on the BreakThru program at Reynolds Memorial Hospital, call 855-341-9999.