Rhode Island's Senate Commission on Emergency Department Diversion has issued a report recommending the development of a pilot program to divert substance abuse and mental health patients to alternative care centers instead of hospital EDs, according to a Rhode Island General Assembly news release.
Current Department of Health protocols require ambulances transporting individuals under the influence of alcohol or other substances to go to the ED. A diversion program would provide more effective treatment for patients and reduce costs because it would allow clinicians to treat the root cause of the illness, according to the report.
The commission based its recommendations on testimony and information collected since November. Sens. Paul V. Jabour (D) and Joshua Miller (D), who led the commission, plan to introduce legislation based on the recommendations.
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Current Department of Health protocols require ambulances transporting individuals under the influence of alcohol or other substances to go to the ED. A diversion program would provide more effective treatment for patients and reduce costs because it would allow clinicians to treat the root cause of the illness, according to the report.
The commission based its recommendations on testimony and information collected since November. Sens. Paul V. Jabour (D) and Joshua Miller (D), who led the commission, plan to introduce legislation based on the recommendations.
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