T.J. Samson | Destination Health | December 2019

DECEMBER 2019 HEALTH NUT Walnuts are rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Sprinkle them on your cereal in the morning, or toss some on a salad for a healthy crunch. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics PUMPKIN POWER Roasted, toasted or stuffed, pumpkin is a nutritional powerhouse. It’s rich in vita- mins A and C, and it has no fat, cholesterol or sodium. Produce for Better Health Foundation RX REMINDER Have trouble remembering your meds and when to take them? Try using a cellphone app to keep a cur- rent list, and set your phone alarm to remind you it’s time to take them. American Diabetes Association E very day, more than 130 people in the U.S. die from opioid overdoses—and Kentucky is among the top 10 states with lives cut short by an addiction that often starts with a prescription for opioid pain relievers. That’s why T.J. Samson Community Hospital is joining forces with hospitals statewide in a crucial new program called Kentucky Statewide Opioid Stewardship (KY SOS). It’s designed to help stop opioid overprescribing—a major cause of the opioid crisis—and ensure the safe use of opioids, when appropriate, for effective pain relief. This past May, the Kentucky Hospital Associa- tion partnered with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services as part of the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort to launch KY SOS. So far more than 100 Kentucky hospitals have come on board. “With so many hospitals collaborating to combat opioid addiction, this program has the potential to make a huge difference in Kentucky,” says Sachin Bahadur, MD, the KY SOS program leader at T.J. Samson and a pain management specialist with T.J. Health Partners. “It will certainly save lives.” TRANSPARENTLY TRACKING PROGRESS Like every hospital with KY SOS, T. J. Samson will collect data tracking how well it’s meeting evidence-based guidelines for prevention.That includes measurements of how the staff: ●  ● Accurately assesses patients’ pain. ●  ● Provides safe pain management after surgery and discharge from the Emergency Department. ●  ● Only prescribes opioids when there aren’t effective, safer alternatives. ●  ● Prescribes opioids safely and properly moni- tors patients who receive them. ●  ● Sees that patients at high risk for opioid over- dose have access to naloxone, a lifesaving drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid when administered on time. ●  ● Ensures that opioids are disposed of safely. “Every hospital will make this data transparent and available to the public in a central online data system,” Dr. Bahadur says. The KY SOS program will provide a voluntary certification for hospitals to demonstrate their progress in meeting best practices for preventing deaths due to opioid pain medication. Hospitals will also receive guidance from ex- perts on how to improve pain management. Every hospital in this part- nership has committed to increased community outreach and education to help Kentuck- ians better understand how to control pain safely. “This is a public health campaign that extends far beyond a hospital’s campus,” Dr. Bahadur says. Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Platteville, WI Permit No. 7 T.J. Samson Community Hospital 1301 N. Race St. Glasgow, KY 42141 T.J. Samson helps fight opioid addiction Sachin Bahadur, MD, Pain management