“He knew that there was someone who was willing to go above and beyond and do what they had to do to help him out. Now he attends 12-step meetings and has a job.”
An innovative program connects opioid overdose patients to treatment services--and a recovery specialist who has also battled addiction.
Salvatore Concepcion, 42, first tried marijuana when he was 12 years old. By the time he was 18, he was addicted to heroin and cocaine. Now in recovery for eight years, he helps others find their way out of addiction at Community Medical Center (CMC). Salvatore is part of a team of seven specialists in the RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery’s Peer Recovery Program.
This unique initiative pairs patients with specially trained people whooffer recovery support. The specialists are in long-term recovery from substance use disorders themselves. The program also provides a patient navigator to connect patients interested in treatment with appropriate programs and services. The program, which serves CMC and other participating RWJBarnabas Health hospitals 24 hours a day, seven days a week, was started in 2016 in response to the growing number of opioid-related overdose deaths in New Jersey—1,409 in 2016. New Jersey’s rate of 22 opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people in 2017 is higher than the national average of 15 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Less than an hour after a patient is treated for a narcotics overdose with the drug naloxone, a specialist from the Peer Recovery Program is at his or her bedside, planting the seed that recovery is possible. “I know what it’s like to not believe that there’s a better way,” says Salvatore. “To be able to let patients know that I’ve been there makes a difference.”
To earn patients’ trust, Salvatore tries to meet them on their own terms. “I approach them with an open mind and without judgment,” he says. “I want to break down the wall between us and have a conversation. I’m not there to tell them what to do. I’m just there to listen and to see if we can find common ground. Once I start talking about my experiences and listen to theirs, it’s amazing how their guard comes down.” “Recovery specialists are people patients can identify with,” says Linda Bogan, a patient navigator in the program. “They represent hope.”
Providing Guidance and Support
Patients often respond favorably to the intervention and agree to go to a medical withdrawal management facility or to an inpatient or outpatient substance abuse treatment program. At that point, a patient navigator steps in. “We try to identify the patient’s challenges and determine which facility would be a good fit,” says Linda. “Then we follow that person for at least eight weeks.”
The recovery specialist stays in touch with each patient to provide guidance, reassurance and support throughout recovery. “I have patients in treatment who still call me six months later,” says Salvatore. “Sometimes I’ll invite patients to hockey or baseball games sponsored by other community recovery programs just to show them there’s so much more that you can do without drinking or using drugs.”
Not every patient accepts treatment the first time around, but the team doesn’t give up. Salvatore remembers an older gentleman who overdosed several times before he was ready to make a change. “We got him into treatment after the fourth time he saw us and numerous follow-ups,” says Salvatore.
“He knew that there was someone who was willing to go above and beyond and do what they had to do to help him out. Now he attends 12-step meetings and has a job.” Other Peer Recovery Program team members include recovery support educators, who plan, develop, implement and evaluate education and training for the program. Recently, the program expanded to include all hospital patients with a substance use disorder—not just opioid overdose victims admitted to the ED.
An Inspirational Journey
Salvatore’s own recovery was hard won. His drug use stemmed from a difficult home life when his father left his family. At age 36, Salvatore decided to change his life. He tried 12-step meetings, got rid of his cell phone to distance himself from people involved with drugs, and surrounded himself with people in recovery. “One thing I’ve learned is that I can’t make patients do anything,” he says. “But they see that I’ve changed my life.
When their pain is great enough, they’re going to ask me for help.” “I think we’re making a huge dent in the addiction problem,” says Linda. “People have heard about us, and now they’ll come to the hospital for help before they get to the point of an overdose.”
For more information, contact the Peer Recovery Program at 833.233.4377.