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​The collaborative spirit between local healthcare providers is allowing much needed changes to occur in the field of opioid care. Providers are sharing information,  have committed to follow all CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids, and together will develop a shared opioid risk assessment tool before prescribing opioids to patients. Alliance to HEAL is also looking at how to close the gap in detox and rehabilitation (both inpatient and outpatient) care. That could include building a new facility in our area to help those at risk of dying from substance abuse disorders. 

Here's what the the work groups are up to:
Work Group
Aim
Successes
1 - Improve Prescribing Practices
  • By July 1, 2019, Gundersen Health System and Mayo Clinic Health System will develop a system for tracking, analyzing, and sharing data around opioid prescriptions
  • Decrease opioid prescriptions by 21% (2017 to 2018) and 11% (2018 Qtr. 2 to 2019 Qtr. 2)
  • Decreased opioid hospitalizations and ER visits combined by 28% from 2017 to 2018 and "rate" 282.5 per 100,000 for 2018 to 182 per 100,000 (2019 Qtr. 1-3 only)
  • Decreased prescription opioid overdose deaths
2 - Diversion of Opioids
  • Increase the number of opioid disposal options in La Crosse County
  • Address street drugs/illicit drugs
  • Outreach education
  • Hosted two drug take back days
  • Started a deputy ride-along project with Meals on Wheels to collect unused prescriptions in 4 communities
  • Community presentations at health and senior fairs, service clubs, and churches
3 - Alternative Pain Treatment
  • Develop a list of agencies in La Crosse County who provide alternative pain management methods 
  • Provide local healthcare systems with suggested messaging to disseminate to their provider networks on the options for alternative pain management
  • ​Create PSAs to increase the public's awareness of alternative pain therapies 
  • Resource guide for non-opioid alternatives completed
  • La Crosse County Health Department created  a "Don't Get Hooked" media campaign
  • Partner and leverage over 400 thirty second television PSA's with WXOW on addressing alternatives, stigma, and where to get help
4 - Adolescent Education
  • Increase percentage of school-age children in La Crosse County who can identify at least one caring and trusted adult in their life outside their family
  • Currently conducting a research study at Hamilton Elementary School in La Crosse
5 - Navigation and Assessment 
  • Healthcare systems will use the same assessment (ASAM) and accepting completed assessments across systems
  • Determine no wrong door vs one door service for entry system to assist those looking to access or navigate services 
  • Survey local people on their experience navigating the "system" to help identify gaps
  • Both aims are in progress and the survey is complete
  • Exploring Recovery Care Coordinated and Navigator staff positions
  • Surveyed 102 clients in treatment to identify gaps
6 - Increase residential treatment/Detox center 
  • Collect data to support funding efforts of detox and residential services
  • Visited LE Phillips in Chippewa Falls and Tellurian in Madison
  • Working on a business plan for a local care system
7 - Medicated Assisted Treatment 
  • Increase the number of individuals enrolled in MAT service
  • Increase number of inmates in jail starting treatment, decrease the gap in MAT availability in jail, and increase the number of inmates referred to treatment/recovery options before release
  • Both aims are in progress
8 - Robust Recovery/Sober Living
  • Identify what recovery support services are missing from the La Crosse area and fill the holes with existing local organizations
  • In progress (sober living survey)
  • Organized Resource Fair for 75 participants and 25 agencies
9 - Narcan and Needles
  • Increase the amount of needles collected in outdoor sharps drop boxes in La Crosse County
  • Prescribe Narcan to all patients with a history of substance abuse disorder, history of overdose, higher opioid dosages, or current benzodiazepine use
  • Offer Narcan to all patients being discharged from the ER after an opioid overdose
  • All patients discharged from ER after opioid overdose will have follow-up with crisis team
  • ​Installed 7 new outdoor sharps boxes, identified vendor to pick up and dispose sharps at no cost
  • Applied and received grant from WI DHS for free Naloxone nasal spray for healthcare ER Depts, St. Clare, and Tri-State Ambulance first responders to provide to those not admitting to hospital after an overdose
10 - Policy
  • Research, recommend, develop policies that impact the opioid epidemic and those seeking treatment and recovery services
  • 11 potential policy topics reviewed
                 3 of these discussed in depth:
​- ASAM Assessment Duplication- Cost of/access to pain alternatives
- Removal of waiver requirements
Other
  • Develop a website for Alliance to HEAL
  • Community presentations at churches, health fairs, service clubs, and community (drug forums) for both professionals and general population
  • Organized 4 workshops for all work groups to develop strategic plan, aims, and measures (2 workshops partnered with training and technical assistance from Institutes for Healthcare Improvement)
  • Meet monthly with all work groups and provide various keynote speakers on topics related to opioids, substance use disorder, and other topics
  • Created cross linkage teams for groups 5-8 on access to treatment and sober living and groups 1-4 on outreach education efforts