RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery Awarded $3.75M SAMHSA Grant to Expand Access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder and Recovery Services

Eatontown – RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery (IFPR) has been awarded a $3.75M grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to expand access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and enhance recovery support services over a five-year period. This grant will support the implementation of the Medication-Assisted Treatment – Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction (MAT-PDOA) program and the establishment of a “bridge clinic” at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC) and at Clara Maass Medical Center (CMMC) that provides patients with transitional medication in between discharge from the hospital and placement in a community care setting.

Hospital emergency departments play a crucial role in addressing the nation’s substance use disorder epidemic as they routinely care for patients with substance-related emergencies. The goals of the MAT-PDOA program are to increase the capacity of RWJBarnabas Health staff to provide medications in combination with comprehensive clinically appropriate services for individuals with opioid use disorder in the emergency department, increase the number of patients receiving medication-assisted treatment and decrease illicit opioid drug use and illicit prescription opioid misuse.

“We are thrilled to be awarded this grant funding which will enable us to establish a bridge clinic, increasing access to medication for opioid use disorder and enhancing our ability to encourage patients to enter and remain in treatment,” said Connie Greene, Senior Vice President, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery, and Co-Chair, RWJBarnabas Health Tackling Addiction Task Force. “The MAT-PDOA program will build upon our comprehensive harm reduction efforts and serve as another vital tool in our toolkit as we work to proactively address the opioid epidemic from all angles.”

The program will further bolster the system’s robust harm reduction efforts spearheaded by IFPR and the RWJBarnabas Health Tackling Addiction Task Force, which has set the standard for executing a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to combatting substance use disorder across the system, focusing on four key areas: education, prevention, treatment and recovery. Supplementing these initiatives, the IFPR Peer Recovery Program is also distributing naloxone kits to eligible patients upon discharge from the emergency department through a partnership with RWJBarnabas Health’s Corporate Pharmacy Division and the Rutgers Opioid Overdose Prevention Network (OOPN).

IFPR is committed to addressing the opioid epidemic from all angles, including providing recovery support services for those with substance use disorders. Since its establishment in 2016, IFPR has served over 76,000 individuals through its Peer Recovery Program, which provides recovery support services for all patients who present with substance use disorders across RWJBarnabas Health emergency departments and inpatient floors, connecting individuals to comprehensive support services and placing them on a path to recovery.

For more information about the RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery, visit RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery or call 833-233-IFPR (4377).

The RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery (IFPR) is a leader in New Jersey (NJ) for substance use disorder focused prevention and recovery support services. IFPR has almost 30 years of experience providing programs and services implemented by a team of highly skilled and incredibly passionate professionals. Through comprehensive programs offered across NJ, IFPR perpetuates real change by facilitating effective, long-term impact, which creates prevention and recovery prepared communities. IFPR is also recognized for its tobacco cessation services, as well as its Training Institute.