As Emergency Physicians, we are well equipped to deal with patients’ acute medical needs, but we often find ourselves without the knowledge or time to deal with many of our patients’ other needs. For social, financial, mental health, and substance use disorders, we lean heavily on other members of our ED team. In this episode, we explore one of the newer roles in this team, the ED Substance Abuse Navigator (SUN). A former patient shares her story of what’s it’s like to be in the ED seeking help with substance use, and Dr. Aimee Moulin talks about her efforts in collaboration with CA Bridge to expand the role of SUNs throughout California. Finally, we talk with two of our UC Davis SUNs, Sandra Overby and Jolie Reyna, who take us through what it’s like to be an ED SUN and how they have been able to help connect many patients with much needed treatment resources. 

Do you have a SUN in your ED?  Share your experience with us on social media, @empulsepodcast, or through our website, ucdavisem.com.

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Hosts:

Dr. Julia Magaña, Associate Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Dr. Sarah Medeiros, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Guests:

Dr. Aimee Moulin, Professor of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry, and Behavioral Health Director, at UC Davis; previous California ACEP President, Director of California Bridge

Sandra Overby, Substance Use Navigator and Addiction Counselor at UC Davis

Jolie Reyna, Substance Use Navigator and Addiction Counselor at UC Davis

Resources:

CA Bridge

Cal ACEP MAT Podcast produced by EM Pulse. Get free CME credit!

It’s all about Tommie EM Pulse episode, September 2018

Substance Use Navigation at UC Davis Medical Center

Snyder H, Kalmin MM, Moulin A, Campbell A, Goodman-Meza D, Padwa H, Clayton S, Speener M, Shoptaw S, Herring AA. Rapid Adoption of Low-Threshold Buprenorphine Treatment at California Emergency Departments Participating in the CA Bridge Program. Ann Emerg Med. 2021 Dec;78(6):759-772. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.05.024. Epub 2021 Aug 2. PMID: 34353655.

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Thank you to the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine for supporting this podcast and to Orlando Magaña at OM Audio Productions for audio production services.