Battling substance use disorder can be overwhelming, especially when you don’t know how or where to get support. Community’s Bridge Program offers help — any time of day or night.
Anyone struggling can simply walk into the emergency room at Community Regional Medical Center or Clovis Community Medical Center and receive Suboxone and other medications to help manage withdrawals and reduce cravings, plus counseling and a direct pathway into outpatient recovery services.
“That's my favorite part of the program — knowing that a patient can literally have their life turned around in 30 minutes,” said Dr. Rais Vohra, emergency medicine physician at Community Regional. “You know just one conversation will lead to that single first dose of medication and that will immediately get them out of withdrawal.”
Substance use of all kinds treated
Community was an early adopter of the Bridge Program. In 2019, the California Department of Health Care Services funded hospitals to offer opioid withdrawal medication and connect patients to substance abuse recovery programs. Community Regional was one of just 53 initial Bridge sites in the state.
In its first year, Community's Bridge Program saw 425 patients. Since then, the program expanded to Clovis Community and grew to include substance use navigators and community partners to help “bridge” those with addictions to a pathway of recovery. Last year, 1,345 patients battling substance use of all kinds were treated at Community hospitals.
“It's so hard for some of these people [struggling with substance use] to seek care. And this makes it easy,” said Dr. Vohra. “They can go any time of the day or night and the medication is right there and they get immediate help.”
Dr. Vohra says no one is there to judge — they’re just there to help.
“We’re seeing hundreds of patients a month,” he said. “Whether it's inpatient or outpatient; pregnant, not pregnant; incarcerated, not incarcerated — none of that seems to matter because this medicine, this evidence-based approach to substance use disorder, is really helping all comers."
A new way to battle the alcohol epidemic
Since the Bridge Program launched, Community's navigators have helped a total of more than 4,700 patients battling substance use.
“Those with drug addictions know the benefit of our treatment and they know how good life can be once they get back into recovery,” said Dr. Vohra. “But now we’re seeing the hidden epidemic of alcoholism.”
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2023, 10.2% of Americans had an alcohol use disorder.
There can be a real sense of hopelessness and despair for people that feel nothing can be done for their drinking. However, Dr. Vohra said they’re reporting much success with medications for these patients. The drugs diminish the reward pathway in the brain, helping to stop the craving for alcohol.
“Until recently, most [physicians] believed the only treatment for alcohol use disorder was total abstinence. We now have medications in pill form as well as injectable doses that last a month. So patients don’t have to take daily medications,” he said. “That’s a game-changer for them!”
For more information on how you can get help, contact the Community Bridge Team at (559) 803-0799 Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or connect to other mental health and substance use support services available.
