Page 57 - Healthcare News August 2021

State Funds New Services to Tackle Homelessness, Substance Use
BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration an- nounced more than $30 million for new regional and statewide services, including strategies to provide a path- way from homelessness to stability to recovery for indi- viduals facing homelessness and substance-use disorders. Investments include additional funding for substance-use treatment, street outreach, youth substance-use preven- tion programs, and substance-use treatment programs for pregnant and parenting women, as well as a hospital discharge-planning kit. This funding also includes a $10 million capital fund for permanent supportive housing.
“Today’s announcement is a comprehensive, cross- agency plan to improve the discharge process,” Gov. Charlie Baker said. “We are pleased to implement new federal funding through MassHealth and continue to invest in permanent supportive housing that provides long-term stability and services to help people thrive.”
Added Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, “our healthcare and shelter service providers were vigilant in their work throughout the pandemic to protect our most vulnerable populations. We believe these new resources, technical assistance, and funding will be a game changer for our service providers working on behalf of our most vulner- able residents.”
The Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Sub-
stance Addiction Services (BSAS) is awarding $15.7 million over five years to serve 75 to 80 individuals at
any given time in Lawrence, Quincy, Brockton, Holyoke, Worcester, Lowell, and Springfield for low-threshold permanent housing and support services. This funding will provide low-threshold permanent housing for unac- companied adults experiencing homelessness along with services that help people maintain their housing. Sobriety is not a requirement of accessing or maintaining housing, as this service is a Housing First model.
This initiative builds upon the administration’s De- cember 2020 announcement of $2 million awarded to Boston-based nonprofit organizations Commonwealth Land Trust and Victory Programs to provide housing and services for individuals experiencing homelessness.
The FY 2022 budget signed by Baker this summer invests a total of $408 million across state agencies to com- prehensively address substance misuse. This represents
a $72.8 million (22%) increase over FY 2021 investments to help address these challenges, which were amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, the administration and the Legislature have boosted funding by more than $288 million since 2015.
“By connecting patients — and their healthcare provid- ers — with housing and treatment resources, we can make
a meaningful reduction in the number of individuals entering homelessness,” said Marylou Sudders, secretary of Health and Human Services. “This comprehensive plan and investment in tools, training, and technical assistance continues Massachusetts’ position as a national leader in leveraging healthcare resources to reduce homelessness.”
The Executive Office of Health and Human Service and the Department of Public Health have also awarded $3.2 million to Pine Street Inn in Boston to engage people experiencing homelessness and provide access to services and supports, including for substance-use treatment, primary healthcare, sheltering and housing search, and overdose prevention.
To ensure that individuals do not experience home- lessness again, the administration is also committed to increasing the amount of available housing. DHCD has announced a new, $10 million capital fund for permanent supportive housing with single-room occupancies, as
well as new, dedicated state housing vouchers to expand housing access for individuals experiencing homelessness. More than 100 housing vouchers will be used to increase exits from shelter into stable housing.
Baystate Noble Hospital Receives Geriatric ED Accreditation
WESTFIELD — The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has awarded Baystate Noble Hospital’s Emer- gency Department a Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA).
In 2014, ACEP, along with the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine,
the Emergency Nurses Assoc., and the American Geriatrics Society, developed and released geriatric ED guidelines, recommending measures ranging from adding geriatric-friendly equipment to specialized staff to more routine screen- ing for delirium, dementia, and fall risk, among other vulnerabilities.
“We couldn’t be more proud to receive this accreditation. It spotlights
our commitment to providing inclusive and patient-centered care for our senior patients,” said Ronald Bryant, president of Baystate Noble Hospital.
Level 3 accreditation signifies excel- lence in older adult care as represented by one or more geriatric-specific initia- tives that are reasonably expected to elevate the level of elder care in one
or more specific areas. Additionally, Emergency Department personnel are identified and trained to implement these efforts. Criteria for GED accreditation include staffing; education; policies, protocols, guidelines, and procedures; quality improvement; outcome measures; equipment and supplies; and physical environment.
“This designation acknowledges the personalized care our Emergency Depart- ment provides any senior adult who comes to us for emergency care,” said Dr. T. Britton Percy, chief medical officer at Baystate Noble Hospital. “Patient experi- ence is important to us at Baystate Noble Hospital, and we are intent on meet-
ing any special needs our senior adult patients may have.”
The GEDA program is the culmination of years of progress in emergency care
of older adults. The ACEP accreditation requires hospital emergency departments to have both physicians and nurses on staff with specialized geriatric training; meet specific environmental criteria, such as ensuring easy patient access to water
and mobility aids; and implement a geri- atric quality-improvement program.
“This accreditation shows our efforts to advance our level of emergency care to better serve our patients in Westfield and the surrounding communities,” said Dr. Sundeep Shukla, chief of Emergency Medicine at Baystate Noble Hospital. “We have formed a team in the Emer- gency Department that will cater to the geriatric population, which is the fastest- growing group of patients that utilize Emergency Departments and emergency services. We are committed to playing
a major role in improving care to the geriatric community.”
WNEU College of Pharmacy Receives Eight-year ACPE Accreditation
SPRINGFIELD — Western New Eng- land University (WNEU) College of Phar- macy and Health Sciences announced that its doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program has received the maximum eight- year accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) board of directors.
ACPE is the national accreditation agency of professional pharmacy degree
programs and providers of continuing pharmacy education. The full accredita- tion through June 2029 recognizes the WNEU College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences PharmD program’s high stan- dard of education and confirms the excep- tional quality of the program in preparing healthcare leaders.
“Over the years, I have found that comprehensive site visits conducted by the
ACPE are as thorough as humanly possi- ble,” said Professor John Pezzuto, dean of College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. “This is a stunning achievement that mir- rors the excellence and commitment of our faculty, staff, students, administration, preceptors, pharmacy community, and more to educate work-ready and world- ready health and wellness professionals to lead the future of patient-centric care.”
The WNE PharmD Class of 2020 earned a high first-time pass rate (93.22%) on the NAPLEX exam, greater than the national average (88.43%). This marks
the third consecutive year of having a pass rate greater than 90%, making WNEU one of only three programs in the Northeast to achieve these results.
AUGUST 2021
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