Southeastern Regional Medical Center was granted a one-year program for $180,000 to help patients who suffer from an addiction.
“They’ve walked that walk and have been in the throes of addiction. They understand what they need to do to get out of the throe,” said Director of Behavioral Health, Anthony Grimaldi.
The hospital hired two peer support specialist who are trained by the state and have years of recovery themselves.
“They’re not talking to you as a doctor or as a nurse, they’re talking to you as someone who has been there, done that,” said Grimaldi.
Not only will the patients work with these two specialist who have gone through the same journey, they’ll also have a team of physicians, psychiatrist, a licensed substance abuse counselor and a care manager.
“They’re the role models of what recovery is supposed to look like,” said Grimaldi.
On a yearly basis, the hospital sees about 2,000 patients in the emergency room, which is roughly 6 patients per day. According to Anthony Grimaldi, the biggest problem with addiction is not asking for help.
“Remember you only need to succeed one more time than you fail. We understand it’s a chronic disease. No shame in being an alcoholic or an addict. The only shame is really doing nothing about it,” said Anthony.
The grant was awarded three weeks ago, and since, Southeastern Regional Medical Center has helped around 50 patients.
