On April 17th, Pandion hosted an Opioid Information Summit with over 40 attendees representing 13 acute care hospitals and 9 counties in the Rochester and Finger Lakes Region. Dr. Michael Mendoza, Commissioner of Public Health for Monroe County, presented an overview of the challenges facing public health stakeholders during the present opioid epidemic and state of addiction, as well as opportunities where hospitals may play a role in addressing the crisis.
Pandion conducted an attendee survey in advance of the summit; results highlighted that a gap in actionable data presents challenges to both the public health and hospital stakeholders' efforts to address the crisis on a real-time basis. The survey, taken by both hospital and public health stakeholders, also reported a deficiency in the timeliness for reporting overdose statistics and a general lack of information on substance misuse diagnosis as a basis of information to support and inform prevention efforts.
Despite frustration expressed, a true desire to address the challenges and acknowledgment from the attendees that the stakes are high across the community was shown. There is a need to increase visibility and integrate addiction into chronic care. The opioid crisis is impacting our youth and playing a significant role in the reduction in average life span for the first time in decades.
Pandion will look for opportunities to address the gap in actionable data and present education on addiction as a chronic disease in an effort to reduce the stigma. For additional information on Pandion’s efforts, please contact Amie Kulak, Director of Quality and Education at Pandion: Healthcare Education and Advocacy, at amie.kulak@pandionalliance.com