WSHA’s Clinical Excellence team, led by Tina Seery, Senior Director of Clinical Excellence, recently partnered with the Washington State Health Care Authority’s Starts with One campaign and ScalaNW team for a visit to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview.
During the visit, the team connected with Kelly Mendoza, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Ambulatory Pain Management, and Patti Walton, Ambulatory Pharmacy Manager, to learn how Starts with One educational materials are being integrated into patient care.
The PeaceHealth team shared how they are using resources such as responsible opioid use rack cards and naloxone materials to support conversations with patients experiencing chronic pain and receiving ongoing opioid prescriptions.
The discussion also highlighted the important role pharmacists play in patient education. Pharmacists are often on the front lines of helping patients understand safe and responsible opioid use, addressing questions and concerns, and normalizing conversations about carrying naloxone as an important safety tool. Through proactive education, pharmacists can help patients and families reduce overdose risk and make informed decisions about their care.
The visit also created opportunities for future collaboration with PeaceHealth St. John’s emergency department. Liz Wolkin from ScalaNW shared the organization’s work connecting emergency departments, hospitals and acute care providers to evidence-based clinical support. She also highlighted their convenient 24/7 scheduling for patients who may benefit from Medications for Opioid Use Disorder.
Through collaboration and shared learning, partnerships like these help strengthen patient education efforts and improve care across Washington communities.
Get free resources from the Starts with One campaign at getthefactsrx.com/wsha-provider-toolkit
Learn more about ScalaNW at scalanw.org (Tina Seery)