Exclusive | NYC public hospital system adopts revolutionary hotspotting addiction treatment program for the South Bronx
New York City’s public hospital system is adopting a revolutionary addiction treatment program at its medical facility serving the South Bronx after the same initiative helped dramatically curb overdose deaths on Staten Island, The Post has learned.Health + Hospitals will launch the specialized “Hotspotting” treatment program at Lincoln Hospital, thanks to a $660,000 grant from the Robin Hood Foundation.Under the Hotspotting model, patients being treated for opioid use in the Lincoln Hospital emergency department will be connected to a dedicated care team, including community health workers and peer counselors.For up to a year following discharge from the hospital, the team will reach out to patients biweekly to offer support and connection to addiction services, medical care, community-based resources, welfare benefits, and housing as needed.The program will offer patients a cell phone and a service contact to help them stay connected to care.The program at Lincoln Hospital expects to serve approximately 150 substance abusers at the highest risk of relapse.A study of the Hotspotting program run by Northwell Health’s Staten Island Performing Provider System, developed with MIT, found there were only two fatal overdoses among 612 participants, compared to 14 deaths for 1,089 addicts not engaged.The analysis also showed a 36% reduction in non-fatal overdoses and a 63% reduction in substance use disorder-related emergency room visits compared to opioid users not in the program.“The increasing potency of opioids in New York City requires new and innovative support forour care for patients with opioid use disorder,” Health + Hospitals president andCEO Mitchell Katz said.“The Hotspotting program will give our patients at Lincoln Hospital up to a year of follow-up care after they leave the hospital for opioid treatment.We are deeply grateful to Robin Hood and the Staten Island Performing Provider System for their support in launching this new model at NYC He...