Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services

Emergency Department Recovery Coach Services

RECOVERY COACHES IN CT HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS

In March 2017, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) partnered with the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) to pilot an initiative that pairs on-call recovery coaches with Emergency Departments in four hospitals in eastern Connecticut. The recovery coaches assist people who are admitted with opioid overdose and other alcohol or drug-related medical emergencies and connect them to treatment and other recovery support services. With information from this successful pilot and support of federal grants, the program expanded to additional hospitals in 2018.  In 2024, all Connecticut hospital emergency departments have recovery coaches working on site.

The model:

  • Trained recovery coaches link Emergency Department patients with substance use disorder treatment and community-based recovery resources
  • Recovery coaches are trained, skilled professionals who support patients, family members and hospital personnel, providing assistance to help people begin recovery or to stabilize recovery when needed
  • As people with lived addiction recovery experience, the recovery coaches demonstrate that people can recover, offering guidance and hope to those who are living with substance use disorders.

The hospitals participating in the initiative as of 2024:

  • Bradley Hospital (Southington)
  • Bristol Hospital (Bristol)
  • Bridgeport Hospital (Bridgeport)
  • Charlotte Hungerford Hospital (Torrington)
  • Danbury Hospital (Danbury)
  • Day Kimball Hospital (Putnam)
  • Greenwich Hospital (Greenwich)
  • Griffin Hospital (Derby)
  • Hartford Hospital (Hartford)
  • Hospital of Central CT (New Britain)
  • John Dempsey Hospital (Farmington)
  • Johnson Memorial (Stafford Springs)
  • Lawrence + Memorial Hospital (New London)
  • Manchester Memorial Hospital (Manchester)
  • Middlesex Hospital (Middletown)
  • Mid-State Medical Center (Meriden)
  • Milford Hospital (Milford)
  • New Milford Hospital (New Milford)
  • Norwalk Hospital (Norwalk)
  • Pequot Health Center (Groton)
  • Rockville General (Rockville)
  • St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center (Hartford)
  • St. Mary's Hospital (Waterbury)
  • St. Raphael's Hospital (New Haven)
  • St. Vincent's Hospital (Bridgeport)
  • Waterbury Hospital (Waterbury)
  • William W. Backus Hospital (Norwich and Plainfield)
  • Windham Hospital (Windham)
  • Yale New Haven Hospital (York St., New Haven)

This initiative is funded in part through federal funds from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as part of an $14.1 million grant awarded to Connecticut to combat the opioid crisis. 

For additional information contact:

Luiza Barnat, Opioid Services Director, DMHAS, Luiza.Barnat@ct.gov

Kevin Shuler, Recovery Coach Program Manager, CCAR, KShuler@ccar.us

Additional Resources:

Recovery Coaching Programs

Recovery Coaches Fact Sheet