Catholic Medical Center hosts 3rd annual Summit on Treating Opiate-Dependent Patients
December 9, 2017
In November, our partner at Catholic Medical Center (CMC) hosted its third annual Summit on Treating Opiate-Dependent Patients. The annual Summit brings together physicians, dentists, podiatrists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, other prescribers, nurses, social workers, allied health professionals, pharmacists, social service agencies, law enforcement, first responders and other stakeholders to discuss New Hampshire’s opioid epidemic.
This year’s event featured presentations by Northeast Node Director Dr. Lisa Marsch; New Hampshire Medical Examiner Dr. Kim Fallon; and Node partners from CMC, Dr. Jonathan Eddinger; Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), Dr. Richard Barth; and Concord Hospital, Dr. Molly Rossignol.
Dr. Marsch presented final outcomes from the Node’s New Hampshire HotSpot study. You can read more about the HotSpot study here.
Dr. Fallon, the state’s Chief Medical Examiner, presented information on the opioid-related deaths that her office has handled during this year. Of the opioid-related overdose deaths processed thus far in 2017, 46% have been from fentanyl alone.
Dr. Eddinger, a cardiac surgeon at CMC in Manchester, NH, presented on intravenous drug use-associated endocarditis.
Dr. Barth, the Chief of General Surgery at DHMC in Lebanon, NH, presented results from three studies conducted at the state’s largest hospital investigating post-operative opioid prescribing for acute pain. Several novel opioid prescribing practices evaluated in these studies were shown to reduce the number of prescribed opioid pills after the five most common outpatient procedures by 53%, while still controlling post-operative pain.
Dr. Rossignol, an addiction specialist at Concord Hospital in Concord, NH, presented on how her practice “bridges the gap” between inpatient treatment and referral to partner organizations.
The Northeast Node was pleased to participate in Catholic Medical Center’s third annual Opiate Summit. Catholic Medical Center is a study site for CTN-0079, ED Connection to Care with Buprenorphine in Rural and Urban Settings, led by the Greater New York Node and supported by the Northeast Node.
You can stay updated on upcoming events within the Northeast Node by visiting its website, Twitter feed, and Facebook page.