Posted: Thursday, February 05, 2015

Addiction is a disease, recovery is possible.

Erwin is one of several clinical therapists stationed in the emergency departments of Kent Hospital and Memorial Hospital as a part of Care New England Connect, a program that establishes The Providence Center as Care New England’s provider of ambulatory mental health and substance abuse services.

“As soon as the doctor has cleared the patient, I step in to help transition them to the next step in their treatment,” Erwin said. “I find out what the patient needs to get through this initial crisis and connect them to a resource that can help them recover.”

Most often, that resource is one of The Providence Center’s 40-plus programs and services for adults and children. “We have such a broad range of services, that there is one that fits each person’s need,” Erwin said.

Referrals range from The Providence Center’s Crisis Stabilization Unit, emergency services or communitybased services or, in the most severe cases, an inpatient bed at Butler Hospital or the psychiatry department at Kent Hospital.

“The advantage is that I’m able to connect directly to those programs and let them know a patient is coming their way,” Erwin said. “They’ll have the essential information they need to develop a plan for recovery. The patient benefits from more efficient and effective care.”

This and other CNE-TPC collaborative programs streamline a patient’s path from crisis to recovery. Providence Center clinicians also located at Butler’s Patient Assessment Services provide crisis assessment to determine appropriate level of care and provide referrals.

After 17 years of working with high-acuity patients, Ralph Apici, The Providence Center’s associate director of acute care services, sees the value in being a part of a broader system of care.

“Collaborations like this one allow us to reach farther into the community and meet the needs of people better and faster,” Apici said.