Inspira Health has launched a substance use disorder program designed to give patients initial treatment, guidance and connectivity to services when they receive care at the hospital. Inspira aims to reduce mortality, improve continuity of care, and enhance quality of life for patients and families affected by substance use disorder.
The new program is a partnership with the Gloucester County Board of Commissioners, who have passed an ordinance to fund $750,000 over the next three years to support the development of the program at Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill.
The program, formally known as the Addiction Medicine Consultation Service, responds directly to Inspira’s 2025 – 2027 Community Health Needs Assessment, which identified substance use as a major health challenge in Gloucester County.
Gloucester County Commissioner Jim Jefferson lent his support when visiting and spoke highly of the program.
“This program will benefit individuals in need of clinical consultation services in our county,” he said. “People with substance use disorder often need compassionate, supportive counseling along with medical treatment as they travel the road to recovery. Inspira’s new program ensures that patients are being connected to both.”
Under the direction of addiction medicine specialist Caroline Rose Kaigh, from Cooper University Health Care, the program focuses on stigma-free engagement, withdrawal treatment, the initiation of medications for addiction treatment, and links patients to evidence-based care.
Vital components of the program include board certified addiction medicine physicians, and trained recovery specialists who evaluate and engage with patients in the hospital and encourage them to initiate treatment.
The Addiction Medicine Consultation Service is modeled after a long-running program developed at Cooper University Hospital that has helped more than 10,000 people since its launch in 2015.
