Fighting the opioid epidemic - The Mercy Health Foundation Greater Cincinnati
Daniel is a 29-year-old with a college education. He has also battled an addiction for seven years. But thanks to new procedure, made possible in part by the Mercy Health Foundation, Daniel is happy to be celebrating one year of sobriety.
After an overdose, Daniel's family brought him to Mercy Health West Hospital. In the emergency room, Daniel received a SBIRT screening, which stands for Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment.
SBIRT screenings help normalize the conversation around addiction. When a patient arrives in an emergency room showing signs of drug or alcohol addiction, a nurse or addiction specialist can refer that patient directly to treatment. This is in contrast to the typical hospital setting, where a patient would leave with a warning from their doctor to find treatment on their own.
SBIRT screenings are made possible in part from a $485,840 gift to the Mercy Health Foundation - Greater Cincinnati. Nearly 28,000 screenings have been conducted, with 5% of those leading to intervention and 3% leading to a referral for treatment.
In Daniel's case, he was able to get into a detox treatment program quickly. There, he received a referral to an intense outpatient treatment center, where he is still a patient. While his family once felt helpless, they're now happy to be celebrating Daniel's chance at a new life.
Mercy Health Foundation welcomes your partnership as we work to make lives in the Greater Cincinnati area better—in mind, body, and spirit. We are united around a single purpose with our donors: Let us partner together to make a difference. Through our faith-driven philanthropy, you can help to ensure that everyone has a fair chance at quality health care, enhance education for caregivers, and support community health programs and clinical research. With your help, we can continue to provide quality and compassionate health care to our community, with a special emphasis on those who are poor or under-served.