Attorney General Russell Coleman announced last week that 51 organizations across Kentucky were awarded a total of $12,029,053 in grant funding from the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission to bolster prevention, treatment and enforcement efforts. KHA received $250,000 from the funding in order to expand the Kentucky Statewide Opioid Stewardship (KYSOS) Emergency Department (ED) Bridge Program. This grant will help KYSOS to fund the hiring of peer support specialists (PSS) for hospitals implementing an ED Bridge Program.
The main objective of the ED Bridge Program is to ensure patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) receive 24/7 access to care. This program helps patients receive low-barrier treatment, bridge them to ongoing care in their community, and nurture a culture of harm reduction in EDs. One of the core elements of the program is to connect OUD patients with a PSS – a person in long term recovery, who can share their lived experiences to help mentor, guide, and encourage patients with OUD. Their connection to OUD patients is a key component to the program’s success.