My name is Ben Smith, and I am currently a 3rd semester honors in nursing student at UAB. I'm originally from Agawam, Massachusetts and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. I moved to Birmingham in 2008 after I was discharged from the Navy and was employed part-time at an urgent care center in the suburbs of the city. Here is where I became increasingly aware of the issue of drug seeking behavior, and other health issues related to substance abuse resulting in the over-crowding of health care facilities all over Birmingham.
When I first started my service-learning project the initial target population was the veterans using the VA health care system that had been given a diagnosis pertaining to opioid dependence. My goal was to develop an effective referral system for patients admitted to the hospital to make the transition from hospitalization to to substance abuse treatment an easier process for the veterans. Since then, my community agency has shifted to University Hospital's emergency department where a study has been in the works since May of 2011. The overall aim of this study is to minimize emergency room visits and hospital admissions by identifying potential substance abuse behavior and pairing the patient with the appropriate treatment center. A little motivation for these patients may prove to go a long way in their path to recovery...
No comments:
Post a Comment