When a patient in crisis walks into a hospital emergency department, that moment can be the difference between life and death. For someone struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD), it can also be an opportunity to begin recovery.
Across Washington State, hospitals like Samaritan Healthcare in Moses Lake and PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham are stepping up to meet this moment — and ScalaNW is helping them do it.
ScalaNW was launched by the Washington State Healthcare Authority in 2024 to reduce opioid deaths by offering hospitals and pre-hospital services free technical assistance, clinical recommendations and scheduling support to boost medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) prescribing in emergency departments.
Washington sees overdoses at a higher rate than the national average – fueled in part by the spread of fentanyl – and there remains a critical need to connect patients with effective treatments.
The good news is MOUD, such as buprenorphine and methadone, are proven to reduce mortality, and changes to DEA rules have made it easier for clinicians to prescribe it. But implementation challenges remain, and nationwide, only 22% of people with OUD receive them.
That’s where ScalaNW comes in. Samaritan Healthcare and PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center were among the first to enroll and are two early examples of success.
At Samaritan Healthcare, emergency department physician Dr. Callie Hannon credits their progress to a strong, interdisciplinary effort.
“I’m really proud of our emergency physicians and nurse practitioners for increasing both offers of prescriptions and numbers of prescriptions used to treat OUD,” Dr. Hannon said. “The nurses and technicians have worked really hard to implement screening, scoring and patient education. ScalaNW’s follow-up scheduling service is invaluable.”
PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center also reported meaningful results since launching ScalaNW, as well as an increase in naloxone distribution and referrals to outpatient treatment.
“In the first five months since launching a comprehensive toolkit for our emergency department caregivers, we have witnessed a cultural transformation in the care of our patients with opioid use disorder,” Program Director of Behavioral Health Mullane Harrington said.
She explained their team was experiencing the same moral distress as every community struggling with the fentanyl crisis, and that ScalaNW’s support has given them a tool to combat that challenge. Clinicians are more confident in treating patients experiencing the impacts of addiction, and patients are able to receive care consistent with their current goals.
WSHA is proud to endorse ScalaNW as an initiative aligned with statewide efforts to reduce opioid-related harm and expand behavioral health access. Since its launch, more than 15 hospitals have enrolled in ScalaNW, with many others expressing interest.
Hospitals interested in participating in ScalaNW can learn more here.
Brittany Weiner
Director, Opioid Stewardship and Behavioral Health