Oakland's emergency departments are stepping up to the plate in a fight against the opioid crisis with a low-barrier-to-entry treatment program that's gaining traction throughout California. The Alameda Health System’s (AHS) Wilma Chan Highland Hospital is on the front lines, initiating treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) right in the ER. The AHS Bridge Clinic, backing this approach, implements a model spotlighted by the Public Health Institute's Bridge Center initiative. This includes providing the medication buprenorphine, which combats withdrawal symptoms, as well as ensuring patient navigation to outpatient care and promoting harm reduction strategies.
In a recent surge of progress, more than 80 percent of California hospitals were reported to have adopted this model and are on board with complete data reporting from April 2019 through June 2023. Research, including work by AHS chief of addiction medicine Dr. Andrew Herring, suggests that the CA Bridge program is viable and ripe to spread beyond the state's borders quickly. Dr. Herring outlined, "Expanding addiction treatment in emergency department settings removes many of the barriers to treatment that people with opioid use disorder encounter." He further emphasized the need to scale this effective model nationally, as mentioned in a statement by the Alameda Health System.
Another study paints a hopeful picture for expanding the OUD treatment timeline. It found that buprenorphine could be safely administered earlier in the withdrawal process, potentially increasing the number of patients treated by 50 percent. These findings add weight to the argument for the more proactive approach adopted by emergency departments like Alameda Health System's. AHS CEO James Jackson expressed the urgency of the crisis by stating, "The opioid crisis is crippling our communities, killing our neighbors, and we see the impact in our hospitals every day". He proclaimed the moral imperative of their work and his pride in the AHS Bridge Clinic, as per details from the AHS website.
The AHS Bridge Clinic operates with an open-door policy, offering same-day appointments and around-the-clock access to OUD treatment, including the vital medication buprenorphine, from the emergency room of the Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus.
