The Pause Program, developed by Kettering Health (KH) and Dr. Nancy Pook, is an initiative to address the opioid crisis by offering an opioid-free approach to managing chronic and non-severe pain. The program encourages a rethinking of pain management strategies to reduce dependence on prescription opioids. By combining insights from pain management and addiction medicine, PAUSE provides a well-researched, clinically tested solution. The program covers 13 Kettering Health emergency centers across 7 counties in Ohio, and is especially valuable in the state, where opioid-related deaths are very high. By tackling the opioid crisis and the rise in methamphetamine use, the program has cut repeat emergency department visits by over 50 percent among frequent patients since it began, as well as reduced Kettering Health’s use of opioids by 20 percent. 

Why We Did It

The project was launched to address the impact of opioid misuse, especially in Montgomery County, which has the highest rate of drug overdose deaths per capita in the U.S. The PAUSE program educates prescribers, treatment providers, law enforcement, and the community on substance use disorders and alternative pain management. The initiative includes medication-assisted therapy (MAT) in emergency departments, adding case managers, and connecting people to substance use treatment programs.

Topics: Substance Use Disorder (SUDs)