Cooper Medical School of Rowan University receives grant, partners with Cooper University Health Care’s Emergency Medical Services program to expand lifesaving patient care[...]

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) has received a $3.5 million dollar grant from the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. In conjunction with Cooper University Health Care's Emergency Medical Services (EMS), this funding aims to expand the number of paramedic systems in New Jersey offering buprenorphine therapy for patients who overdose on opiates.

"People with opioid use disorder who have overdosed have a life-threatening illness, with an annual mortality rate similar to patients who have had a heart attack or a stroke, so rapid intervention is lifesaving," said Gerard Carroll, MD, FAAEM, FAEMS, FASAM, EMT-P, associate professor of emergency medicine and EMS fellowship director at CMSRU, and an emergency medicine physician and division head of EMS and disaster medicine at Cooper University Health Care.

While the use of naloxone is the critical antidote to reverse the immediate effects of an opioid overdose, following naloxone with buprenorphine allows patients to avoid withdrawal symptoms, inhibits their ability to overdose for the next 24 hours, and makes them more receptive to long-term treatment. Patients initially treated with buprenorphine are six times more likely to successfully enroll in a recovery program, according to Dr. Carroll.

Cooper University Health Care, which has provided integrated basic and advanced life support emergency medical services to city of Camden since 2016, has pioneered pre-hospital treatment for those with substance use disorders. Cooper's Mobile Intensive Care paramedics were the first in the world to administer buprenorphine in the field after an overdose. Early data showed that paramedics could successfully administer buprenorphine and refer many patients directly to Cooper's Center for Healing, an addiction medicine program. With more than 300 patients successfully treated, Cooper's early success has led to more than a dozen paramedic systems across the country (including Contra Costa, Oakland, Portland, Milwaukee, Delaware, and Pittsburgh) to begin similar programs.

This grant will allow the CMSRU faculty and Cooper to partner with two other regional paramedic systems in New Jersey that encounter high rates of opiate overdoses to help them implement a comprehensive opiate harm reduction program with buprenorphine, including training, coaching, and support. Expanding these programs is expected to save the lives of some of the sickest patients with opiate-use disorder.

"EMS can and should be leveraged to engage patients and deliver addiction care. The opiate crisis is a public health emergency reaching into every community in the nation, and the emergency medical services infrastructure is a trusted, essential service already embedded in our communities. I am confident that our success in Camden, NJ, can be replicated across the nation, using EMS resources that already know and care for their communities," said Rachel Haroz, MD, FAACT, associate professor of emergency medicine at CMSRU, and center head for the Center for Healing and division head of toxicology and addiction medicine at Cooper.

Funding for the grant was provided through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA).

About Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

A partnership between Rowan University and The Cooper Health System, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) is the only four-year, M.D.-granting medical school in South Jersey. CMSRU is proudly mission-driven, focused on developing highly skilled and socially conscious physician leaders who value a patient-centered, team approach to health care. Its innovative curriculum provides students with small-group, self-directed learning with early and continuous patient care experiences, beginning the third week of medical school in the Cooper Rowan Clinic. CMSRU was named a "Best Grad School for Medicine-Primary Care 2023-2024" by U.S. News & World Report and was previously listed among the "Top 10 Most Competitive" medical schools for admission. In 2019, CMSRU was the recipient of the Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, one of the most prestigious awards presented by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

CMSRU's parent organization, Rowan University, is a Carnegie-classified national doctoral research institution. It offers bachelor's through doctoral programs to more than 18,500 students through its campuses in Glassboro, Camden and Stratford, New Jersey. Rowan is collaborating with regional leaders to create research and academic programs in health sciences. It has earned national recognition for innovation, commitment to high-quality, affordable education and developing public-private partnerships.

About Cooper University Health Care

Cooper University Health Care, with its MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper and affiliation with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, is a leading academic health system. Cooper has more than 10,000 team members including nearly 1,600 nurses, more than 975 employed physicians, and more than 550 advanced practice providers. Cooper University Hospital has been recognized as a top-performing regional hospital by U.S. News & World Report's 2023-2024 Best Hospitals annual survey.

Cooper has revenues of more than $2 billion and, along with its new upgraded "A" rating from S&P, recently received an A+ credit rating from Fitch Ratings. Cooper University Hospital is the only Level 1 Trauma Center in South Jersey and the busiest in the region. More than two million patients are served annually at Cooper's 663-bed flagship hospital, outpatient surgery center, three urgent care centers, and more than 100 ambulatory offices throughout the community. Cooper has been named as one of America's Best Employers by Forbes for three consecutive years.

The Cooper Health Sciences campus in Camden, New Jersey, is home to Cooper University Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, Children's Regional Hospital at Cooper, and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Visit CooperHealth.org to learn more.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.