Two Emory Healthcare facilities and Grady Health System have been awarded funding through the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust to continue combating the opioid crisis in the state. The funds will support drug addiction treatment, prevention efforts and recovery services for individuals with substance use disorders who seek care at these facilities.

In 2022, Georgia secured $638 million from national settlements with major pharmaceutical entities following implication of opioid misuse statewide. The trust was created to receive and administer Georgia’s share of the funds from opioid manufacturers and distributors and will be distributed over the next 18 years through strategic initiatives.

Through a competitive grant application process, organizations applied for funds to expand treatment options and services to those facing substance use disorders. Emory Healthcare will receive funding for the below entities.

Emory Addiction Center

• Approximately $3 million will be awarded over two years to to Emory Addiction Center to enhance outpatient and intensive outpatient programs, aimed at increasing service availability for adolescents aged 12 and older.
• $1.4 million will be used over two years to extend comprehensive family support services, including case management, workshops and coaching sessions to rebuild trust and foster recovery.

“This crucial funding will expand outpatient clinical services for uninsured and underinsured families and adolescents statewide, increasing access to needed care. It represents a monumental step toward enhancing our capacity to address the complexities of addiction with empathy, expertise and effective treatment,” says Justine Welsh, MD, director of addiction services for Emory Healthcare and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. Welsh will collaborate with colleagues at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation to implement these efforts through Emory Healthcare’s partnership, Addiction Alliance of Georgia, where she also serves as the medical director.

Emory University Hospital Midtown

• $865,862 will be awarded over two years to Emory University Hospital Midtown to start a peer recovery program and hire up to four peer recovery coaches to work with patients with substance use disorders. Coaches will work with patients at the bedside to engage in motivational interviewing, provide resources and directly link individuals to treatment programs when they leave the hospital.
• $63,000 will be awarded over two years for naloxone (brand name Narcan) distribution to patients seen in the emergency department (ED) or admitted to the hospital. This medication rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.

“Peer recovery coaches will work with individuals with known substance use disorders in the emergency department and admitted to Emory University Hospital Midtown to provide peer support, resources and motivational interviews,” says Joseph Carpenter, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emory and physician champion for the peer coaching program at Emory University Hospital Midtown. “The recovery coaches are in long-term recovery with specialized training, often providing shared experiences during coaching.

“Additionally, we want to make naloxone distribution as low barrier as possible by providing take home naloxone to patients with substance use disorders,” says Carpenter. “When writing naloxone prescriptions, we have found that few prescriptions are filled, even when the prescription is free of charge. Therefore, we have learned it is best to provide this medication directly in-hand to patients.”

Grady Health System

An existing peer coaching program at Grady Memorial Hospital, organized by Emory University researchers and supported through grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is also receiving additional support through the settlement funds.

• $204,825 will be awarded over two years to sustain and grow the existing peer coaching program.
• $50,000 over two years for naloxone distribution to patients seen in the ED or admitted to the hospital.
• $227,128 for life care specialists to support chronic pain management programs.

“Since May of 2023, peer recovery coaches at Grady have worked with more than 2,000 individuals to support them through treatment plans and recovery programs,” says Carpenter, who serves as principal investigator of the CDC grant at Grady Memorial Hospital. “We plan for the peer recovery coaching teams at Grady and Emory University Hospital Midtown to work together to offer the best support options and successes for our patients.”