Emergency Department At Cohen Children’s Medical Center Receives National Accreditation For Pain And Substance Use Care

Cohen Children’s Medical Center, a member of Northwell Health and the largest pediatric emergency department in New York State, is the first pediatric emergency department in the nation to be awarded Pain and Addiction Care in the Emergency Department (PACED) accreditation by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

Cohen Children’s is challenging industry norms by ensuring that early substance use intervention and support services are made available to every patient and their families.

“The landscape of community health continues to evolve,” said Charles Schleien, MD, senior vice president and chair of pediatrics of Cohen Children’s. “We are committed to learn, to grow and to innovate. As we navigate the ongoing pain and substance use crises, we will continue to implement evidence-based practices to meet the critical needs of our communities.”

There is an exponential risk of health and social consequences and substance use disorder among those who start using substances before the age of 18. In March 2018, the hospital’s emergency department implemented the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program, offering universal screening to determine a patient’s level of risk and ability to receive benefit from support or treatment for their substance use.

Additionally, Northwell’s Naloxone Saturation Campaign (NAL-SAT) was implemented in 2018 and offers opioid overdose prevention education and a rescue kit to patients and families. These programs have reached thousands of people and serve as the foundation of an expansion portfolio of routine care offered within the emergency department.

“Over the past six years, we have created structured processes and opportunities for our patients to explore their relationship with alcohol, drugs and other substances,” said Monica Shekher-Kapoor, MD,  pediatric emergency medicine attending physician at Cohen Children’s, who helped spearhead the effort for SBIRT, NAL-SAT, and PACED. “Adolescence is a critical time to initiate these conversations within clinical settings, and in turn, intervene and support.”

PACED accreditation will propel systemwide efforts to amplify, explore, implement and evaluate a multitude of strategies, with a focus on team member empowerment to drive equitable access and delivery of high value, high yield care for those suffering with addiction and pain within emergency medicine.

“This accreditation validates our steadfast organizational mission to deliver quality, evidence-based addiction and pain care for patients visiting our emergency departments,” said Sandeep Kapoor, MD, assistant vice president of emergency medicine addiction services. “We have the expertise and thoughtfulness to ensure our communities receive humanistic care and support in their need time of need.”

With this accreditation, Northwell Health is now PACED accredited (ACEP) for all 18 of its emergency departments, now making Northwell the first organization in the nation to receive health system accreditation.