Grant helps St. Luke’s nip substance use issues in the bud
"Long, cold winters," she said.
Whatever the reason, excess alcohol consumption in the region is a concern for Peterson in her role as director of case management for
The program goes by the unappealing acronym of SBIRT, which stands for Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment. What it means is that a patient entering a clinic or hospital is asked questions regarding substance use. If the answers point to excess drinking or drug use, the patient can immediately be seen on site and given corrective guidance -- that's the brief intervention. If a more urgent problem is identified, the patient can be referred for behavioral health treatment.
The concept is simple, but it's evidence-tested as a powerful tool to reduce the consequences of excess use of alcohol and drugs, Peterson said. She points to a 1999 study reported in the
"The evidence out there is phenomenal for SBIRT as far as creating a positive impact on patients," Peterson said.
The evidence also shows, she said, that about 75 percent of the
But the SBIRT method shines with the other 20 percent, Peterson said, people who may drink or use drugs excessively without normally being seen as having a problem.
"Historically that portion of the population has been almost ignored in a sense, and that's where our everyday people in society that still have jobs, still have good relationships -- they fall into that category," Peterson said. "But they are at risk of impacting their health ... of losing their job, of ending up divorced."
The economic toll is enormous.
Peterson points to a study on the economic impacts of excessive drinking in
Determining when use is excessive is a simple numbers game when it comes to alcohol, Peterson said. To be considered at low risk, healthy men under the age of 65 must have no more than four standard drinks per day and no more than 14 in a week. For healthy women and men 65 and older, the numbers are a maximum of three drinks per day and seven per week.
What's considered a standard drink varies by the drink -- a 12-ounce can of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine or a shot of whiskey.
Many in the Northland pass those limits, at least on occasion, without giving it a thought, Peterson said.
"The focus isn't on those who are using hard drugs every day," she said. "It's those who are going to a barbecue on the weekend and ... oops, having one too many."
She told of one patient who went on vacation in a country where drinking heavily is accepted. The individual drank quite a bit of wine without ever really becoming drunk, she said. When he returned home, he developed pancreatitis.
The patient answered the screening questions and was told the amount of drinking he'd been doing had placed him at risk.
"They said, 'Wow, I had no idea,'" Peterson related. "It's an everyday person, has a job, has a family, does well on a day-to-day basis. But they were drinking in a very risky way."
Peterson and
The program also is being introduced in
The grant money was intended to provide a therapist at St. Luke's
"There's a great need," he said. "There's a lack of mental health (providers) there in general. ... We have a very busy clinic."
But there have been few responses to the posting for the position, he said, and if it can't be filled the position will be shifted to meet another need for an inpatient mental health therapist at the hospital.
Ideally, there would be a therapist at every clinic, Drexler said. But the screening process takes place regardless.
"These kinds of models where you integrate it into primary care allow us to be more creative with supporting the population," he said. "But those startup funds are really crucial. All of
Dr.
"We know that outside of the seven-county metro area, there are significant issues with substance use disorder and behavioral health, and really limited access to services," she said.
UCare sees the grants as beneficial to its members and as a good investment,
"In terms of the evidence, we know that it can reduce health care costs," she said. "And the savings can range anywhere from a three or four or five to one return. And I'm not saying that it happens right away. But if you look over time, we know that this type of intervention, if it's done in an (emergency department) or a hospital or a primary care clinic, can result in fewer emergency department visits, fewer injuries, fewer hospitalizations ... fewer arrests and fewer motor vehicle crashes."
It works in part, Drexler suggested, because it meets people where they are without necessarily sending patients to a mental health clinic.
"'I don't want to go.' 'I'm not depressed or crazy,' We've heard it all," Drexler said. "They're a lot more comfortable if they're at their own doctor's office.
"With this kind of model, we break down a lot of barriers."
___
(c)2019 the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.)
Visit the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) at www.duluthnewstribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Brookdale Comments on Land & Buildings Letter
Triple-S Management Corporation Announces Conversion of Remaining Class A Shares Into Class B Shares and Elimination of Dual Class Equity Structure
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News