By Buffalo Healthy Living on December 31, 2021
NYMATTERS is a successful program developed by UB emergency medicine physicians to expedite care for people with substance use disorder. Robert McCormack, MD, physician adviser to NYMATTERS, and chair of the UB Emergency Department of Medicine and president of UBMD Emergency Medicine, says NYMATTERS provides medication-assisted treatment to opioid use disorder patients in emergency departments and quickly gets them into long-term treatment at a community clinic of their own choosing within 24-48 hours. Before NYMATTERS, opioid use disorder patients were often discharged from emergency care with a list of phone numbers for clinics that were either overwhelmed for appointments or inactive.
Joshua Lynch, DO, clinical associate professor at UB’s Department of Emergency Medicine, and a physician with UBMD Emergency Medicine, established the program, which expedites care for those affected throughout all WNY hospitals. He also implemented an aggressive effort to train ER physicians and advanced practice providers in responsible opioid prescribing; prescribing buprenorphine (which controls withdrawal symptoms); and in making rapid referrals for community treatment. With hundreds of weekly appointment slots available, most patients can be seen within 1 to 2 days at a location close to their home regardless of past drug use, insurance status, or their current substance use behavior.
