PHMC’s Research Scientist Dr. Kate Hemady and Treatment Research Institute’s Senior Research Scientist Dr. Karen Dugosh will evaluate the effectiveness of Bucks-County-Connect-Assess-Refer-Engage-Support (B-CARES) program’s warm handoff protocol being implemented in five Bucks County hospitals. The warm handoff program, which is part of Independence Blue Cross (IBC) Foundation’s Supporting Treatment and Overdose Prevention (STOP) initiative, aims to connect Certified Recovery Specialists (CRS) to overdose survivors upon their admittance to a hospital’s emergency department. Based on the patient’s needs, a CRS visits the hospital to connect the survivor to opioid use disorder treatment and other useful community resources that support their recovery. PHMC’s R&E Group will collect quantitative and qualitative data to assess the impact and implementation of B-CARES. Data will be collected for emergency department patients presenting for overdose reversal, including the number of survivors who are discharged or subsequently admitted to hospitals, who are offered a warm handoff, and who are transitioned to substance use treatment. Funding for this study is being provided by the Independence Blue Cross Foundation.

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