The American College of Emergency Physicians has awarded 12 Northwell Health emergency departments with the Pain and Addiction Care in the Emergency Department bronze-level designation.
The recognition is part of a national accreditation program that is designed to improve management and substance use care for patients so that they receive the highest level of treatment for pain and addiction, while also minimizing the usage of opioid medications.
“The fact that 12 of our hospitals have received national accreditation recognizes our efforts to humanize the approach to substance use and pain. We are very proud that our model of care is being regarded as an industry standard,” Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, assistant vice president of Emergency Medicine Addiction Services, said in a statement. “It is our mission that all 18 of our emergency departments will soon be recognized for our work in this space.”
The accreditation comes at a time when pain-and-substance abuse, and subsequent fatal opioid overdoses are increasing nationwide, experts say. Fatal opioid overdoses, many caused by Fentanyl, are considered a national public health epidemic. There have been 108,000 deaths in the 12-month period that ended in August 2022, according to Northwell.
The Northwell sites on Long Island that received the designation include Huntington Hospital, North Shore University Hospital, Plainview Hospital, Syosset Hospital, Glen Cove Hospital, LIJ Valley Stream, Long Island Jewish Medical Center and South Shore University Hospital.
Locations in New York City with the designation include Lenox Health Greenwich Village, Lenox Hill Hospital, Staten Island University Hospital North and Staten Island University Hospital South.
Northwell says a critical aspect to addressing the substance abuse crisis is the health system’s three-prong approach, which comprises education, clinical practice and research.
“We will continue our efforts to provide patients with all the knowledge and power available to us to shift that narrative that there is ‘no help out there,’” Kapoor said. “We are here and committed to serve our patients, their families, and our communities in a holistic and comprehensive manner.”
