Baystate Noble Hospital Opioid Task Force Members Present at Annual Sigma Conference

WESTFIELD — Recently, Sarah Warn, RN, Emergency Department; Heather Colon, RN, Emergency Department; and leading members of the Baystate Noble Hospital Opioid Task Force presented at the annual Sigma Region 15 Nursing Research Symposium.

The conference, titled “Bold Innovations: Nurses Leading the Changing Health Care Climate,” was held in October in Boston. Sigma boasts more than 100,000 active members and 600 chapters at institutions of higher education; members include clinical nurses and administrators, academic nurse educators and researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and others working to fulfill the organization’s vision of connected, empowered nurse leaders transforming global healthcare.

Warn and Colon’s podium presentation, “Caring for People Who Use Drugs in the Baystate Noble Hospital Emergency Department,” was initially submitted to Sigma as a poster presentation by Jessica Holden, executive director of Nursing at Westfield State University and member of the Opioid Task Force. However, she was contacted by the conference organizers and was asked if the presentation could instead be a podium presentation.

Caring for people who use drugs in the Baystate Noble ED is a nurse-led quality-improvement project taking place in Westfield. The Baystate Noble Hospital Opioid Task Force, which is comprised of internal constituents as well as community stakeholders, has spent focused deliberation on the needs of the local community, specifically those who with substance-use disorder who seek care in the ED. It has been determined that there exists an opportunity to enhance the ability of the ED and its capacity to provide meaningful resources to people who use drugs in an environment that feels inclusive and non-judgmental.