MidHudson Regional Hospital Hosts Conference On Opioid Addiction; Renames Turning Point

MidHudson Regional Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), welcomed primary care providers, mental health and substance abuse practitioners, and community leaders to a daylong conference on the scope of opioid addiction in Dutchess County and the Hudson Valley. The event focused on providing clinicians with the practical skills to screen, engage, and treat patients dealing with an addiction to opioids.

Since 2013, the hospitals of WMCHealth have been committed to providing educational conferences for medical providers in the Hudson Valley on the nature and treatment of opioid addiction. In January, Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern hosted a similar event, and Westchester Medical Center, the flagship of WMCHealth, will hold one later this year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than three out of five drug deaths in the United States involve an opioid. In 2016, 42,000 people died from an opioid overdose, with 40 percent of those deaths involving prescription opioids. Overdose deaths from opioids have quintupled since 1999.

Stephen Ferrando, MD, Director, Department of Psychiatry at Westchester Medical Center Health Network directed the conference. Gail Bailey-Wallace, MD, Medical Director of the Kyle Goldberg Turning Point Program at MidHudson Regional Hospital; Ken Goldberg of the Kyle Goldberg Memorial Foundation; Matt Bartos, Residential Care Director at Little Creek Lodge; and A.K. Vaidian, MD, Commissioner of Behavioral and Community Health in Dutchess County spoke on topics including: local government's response to the opioid crisis, the impact an opioid overdose has on a family, emerging therapies to treat opioid addiction, and the use of Narcan in saving lives.

Special Recognition
Following the conference, the Turning Point chemical dependency treatment program located at MidHudson Regional Hospital was officially named the Kyle Goldberg Turning Point Program. In 2004, Kyle passed away from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 22. After his death, his family formed the Kyle Goldberg Memorial Foundation with the mission to support young adults suffering from addiction and to partner with organizations to further educate young adults and professionals about this disease and treatment.

The Kyle Goldberg Turning Point Program provides medically managed detoxification from alcohol and other substances for inpatients. It also offers inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, specialized intensive outpatient programs, outpatient counseling and support groups. New York State licenses all services. To learn more, visit MidHudsonRegional.org/TurningPoint.