With record-high overdose deaths and rising rates of substance use disorder during the COVID-19 crisis, the health system expands treatment and prevention offerings
By: Maya Devereaux
In just four hours, Lenox Hill Hospital collected a total of 120 pounds of expired or unused prescription medications on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Saturday, April 24th. Together with its sister hospital, South Shore University Hospital (SSUH), the two sites provided the public an opportunity to anonymously turn in any leftover medicine, which resulted in a total volume of 320 pounds.
Lenox Hill and SSUH continue to provide this service biannually as a way to help prevent accidental or intentional drug misuse, drug addiction and overdose deaths. During the previous Drug Take Back Day in October 2020, Northwell Health collected 322 pounds of unused prescription medications.
Organized twice a year by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), this national event addresses the public health crisis surrounding prescription drug abuse. This Saturday was the 20th Drug Take Back Day. Over the 10-year span of this event, the DEA has been able to collect more than 6,800 tons of prescription medications.
The majority of the misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
“We are so pleased to offer this vital service to our community,” said Mark Schiffer, MD, executive director of Lenox Hill Hospital. “It is so important to do everything possible to keep prescription drugs from falling into the wrong hands, especially with the significant spike in drug overdoses throughout the pandemic.”
More than 87,000 Americans have died as a result of a drug overdose between October 2019 and September 2020, a 29-percent increase over the prior year and the most ever recorded in a 12-month period, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This increase began prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and accelerated significantly during the first months of the pandemic.
While the cause is unclear, feelings of social isolation, anxiety and stress related to the pandemic likely contributed to this trend.
Meeting the need for substance use disorder treatment
Recognizing the rapidly growing opioid epidemic, Northwell Health has made significant investments to help prevent drug overdoses and deaths. In addition to participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events, the health system created the Opioid Management Steering Committee (OMSC) in 2016. This is an organized forum for Northwell experts to share resources, raise awareness and implement potential solutions in an effort to better serve patients, providers, employees and the community.
In 2020, Northwell launched Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research Center, the country’s first of its kind that is connected to a major academic system. Located 75 miles from New York City, the 130-bed treatment center opened its doors ahead of the originally scheduled launch in response to the growing demand for addiction treatment throughout the pandemic. Wellbridge utilizes New York State-certified programming at various levels of care, including withdrawal management, inpatient rehabilitation and residential extended stay.
Innovative treatment options
Thanks to a new collaboration with Pear Therapeutics, Inc., the health system can now offer patients with opioid and substance use disorders access to an innovative FDA-authorized treatment option – prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs). Unlike traditional medicines, PDTs are designed to collect real world data for use by prescribing clinicians, as well as population health management.
Using software to directly treat disease, this digital care program will be offered through Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell’s stand-alone behavioral health facility.
For more information, visit www.DEAtakeback.com.
