The Times Union published a new story as part of its continuing coverage on the growing opioid epidemic in the Capital Region. Dr. Melissa Weimer, Chief of Behavioral Health and Addiction Medicine at St. Peter’s Hospital, was interviewed as part of the story:
The newest medical approach may be at St. Peter’s Health Partners, where drug users addicted to heroin, fentanyl and other opioids can now walk into outpatient locations in Albany, Troy and Cohoes or emergency departments at Samaritan, Albany Memorial and St. Peter’s hospitals and promptly be evaluated to get buprenorphine to help them through withdrawal, or more intense detox services if needed. The program has served more than 300 people since it opened last September.
“When the person feels, I am able to change in this moment, we are ready to treat them in this moment,” said Dr. Melissa Weimer, medical director of the SPHP Addiction Recovery Center. “We’re trying to make it so there’s no closed door.”
To view the article, which also includes a video of Dr. Weimer discussing the opioid epidemic and how it compares to the early AIDS crisis, click HERE.
St. Peter’s Health Partners is proud to be a part of the “Prescription for Progress: United Against Opioid Addiction” coalition, which includes local leaders in health care, media, law enforcement, government, education, and business. The coalition was formed to examine the opioid crisis in our area – how we got here and what it will take to stop more people from dying.
For further details on addiction services at St. Peter’s Health Partners, head to www.sphp.com/opioids.
