Department news | October 31, 2017
While opioids are powerful and useful medications, they also come with high risk of starting a life-long addiction. Harborview’s Pain and Addictions Strategic Oversight Committees integrate the work of multiple programs and departments that care for patients with complex pain control challenges and substance use disorders. In recognition of their work, the Pain and Addictions Oversight Committees received the Washington State Hospital Association’s 2017 Community Health Leadership Silver Award. The association gives the Community Health Leadership Award annually to health care organizations that are serving their community’s broader health needs in innovative and lasting ways. The Committees work includes:
- Education on safe prescribing practices and prevention;
- Alternatives to opioids for pain management;
- Focused treatment for opioid use disorder;
- Integrating specialty and expert primary care for pain, addiction and mental health in primary care and in addiction treatment centers;
- Partnership with other King County community partners and Washington State to expand medication-assisted treatment; and
- Using best care and data to reduce opioid use.
The Pain and Addictions Strategic Oversight Committees developed from informal meetings around diagnosis and management issues of patients admitted to Harborview who had both opioid addiction and pain, often from severe trauma or infections. These informal meetings started several years ago and included Ivan Lesnick, MD (pain service), Joe Merril, MD, MPH, and Judy Tsui, MD, MPH, (internal medicine) and Rick Ries, MD (addictions). They sought administrative support through consultation with Brigitte Folz, LICSW, who has done a great job of mobilizing staff, doctors and administrators to work on better approaches to this problem. The Oversight Committees are currently chaired by Dr. Lesnik and Sommer Kleweno Walley. Dr. Ries, Matt Iles-Shih, MD, MPH, and Mark Snowden, MD, MPH, have served on the committee as well as Darcy Jaffe, MN, ARNP, NE-BC, PMH-CNS-BC, FACHE , Brigitte Folz, LICSW, Sunny Lovin, LICSW, and Chelsea Markle, PharmD.
WSHA represents more than 100 hospitals and health systems in the state, including those that are non-profit, investor-owned, and county, state and military hospitals. Visit http://www.wsha.org/ for more information.