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Roane County pilots for opioid navigation report lower recidivism and dozens of hospital-to-treatment admissions
Summary
County-funded navigator positions reported early results: Covenant Health’s navigator said she arranged 46 direct inpatient admissions and saw 313 patients in 13 months; the county community navigator reported 1,437 encounters, 121 individuals and a 9% recidivism rate, and urged permanent funding.
Caitlin Moore, a hospital-based navigator with Covenant Health, told the Roane County Commission that the navigator position funded by the opioid pilot program has connected dozens of hospitalized patients to treatment.
"Once they have that desire to get clean, we have about 30 minutes," Moore said, describing the short window to move patients into treatment. She reported working with 313 patients in 13 months, arranging 46 direct admissions from the hospital to inpatient treatment and tracking an average patient age of about 45.
Christie Bentley, Roane County community navigator, told commissioners the county-funded program had 1,437 total encounters serving 121 individuals in its first year and reported a program recidivism rate of 9 percent, which she said is well below state averages. Bentley described program spending on salaries, IDs, sober-housing deposits and reintegration kits and said the work both reduces re-arrests and lowers county costs.
Yvette Reeder, the county's trauma-informed specialist assigned to schools, described ACEs/PACEs-informed work in district classrooms and said the program's prevention and training elements are integral to long-term recovery supports.
Speakers asked the commission to consider making the navigator positions permanent when opioid-settlement funds expire. Commissioners thanked the teams and said the positions will be discussed during the next budget cycle.
