Program Helps Patients With Substance Use Disorders (Podcast)

At least 48.7 million people had a substance use disorder in 2022, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That’s more than 17% of the U.S. population.

Cleveland Clinic Akron General launched a program that same year to offer immediate access to help for people with substance use disorder (SUD) through the hospital’s four emergency departments.

“Our Recovery’s in Reach program identifies those who suffer from primary or secondary substance use disorder,” says Jonathan Sanchez, MBA, BSN, RN, nurse manager of the Akron General Emergency Department and lead program coordinator. “And if the patient is willing – because that’s a big piece, that patient has to be ready – we have recovery coordinators that will place them in an inpatient or outpatient recovery center of their choice.”

In the latest episode of Cleveland Clinic’s Nurse Essentials podcast, Sanchez discusses substance use disorder and the Recovery’s in Reach program, including:

• The shift from the term ‘addiction’ to SUD, a diagnosable disorder
• Advice for nurses to suspend judgment and stigma around substance use disorder
• How to gain the trust of patients and discuss SUD with them
• The genesis of the Recovery’s in Reach program, and the role of nurses, recovery coordinators and peer counselors
• Guidance for caregivers who are interested in starting a program for people with SUD
• Patient success stories

Click the podcast player above to listen to the episode now, or read on for a short, edited excerpt. Check out more Nurse Essentials episodes at my.clevelandclinic.org/podcasts/nurse-essentials or wherever you get your podcasts.

Podcast excerpt

Podcast host Carol Pehotsky, DNP, RN, NEA-BC: What's some advice you have for nurses who absolutely want to meet the patients where they're at – they don't want to be judgmental? How can they comfortably discuss substance use disorder and even possibly recovery options?

Sanchez: It really is reaching out to those resources that are out there within the medical community or nursing community, especially at your local hospitals. So, like any nurse, if you don't know, ask. Because the resources are out there, and the experts are out there. Reach out so that you become versed so when you have the opportunity to approach a patient that may suffer, then you can have a conversation that’s meaningful toward that patient, but also meaningful to that nurse.

Pehotsky: Sure, yeah. Well, and you think about it, in so many phases of nursing, it's so important to establish trust pretty quickly. I come from a surgical area. So, being able to have a patient feel comfortable enough around me that they can be honest with me that day of surgery. Did they consume any substances? When was the last time they did? What truly did they consume? What the amount is so we can make sure we deliver safe care to that patient through that surgical journey. Any advice around that? You know, we need to get to the truth. We don't want to be judgmental. We're setting up this rapport with the patient, and it really is so very important that we get a very honest answer.

Sanchez: Yes. And trust is a major part of this. From talking with patients in the past, they believe if they're going tell you about their substance use disorder or their addiction, it really is because they think that you're going to turn them in to local authorities.

And it's really gaining that trust from the start to understand that we respect your decision on what you've done this far, but we need to take care of you properly because whatever you may have injected, ingested or smoked may have consequences if we now start to provide care to you and medication. So, we need to know these things so we can provide proper care.