Shore Medical Center receives $20,000 for opioid addiction prevention programs

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Provided/Shore Medical Center Chief Financial Officer and Chief Development Officer David Hughes, center, accepts a donation of $20,000 from OAR13 members Jason Dugan, left, and David Beyel, Jr., right, proceeds from the 2022 Kyle Evans Memorial Golf Outing.

SOMERS POINT - Shore Medical Center has announced that it has been designated as a recipient of $20,000 from the proceeds of the 2022 Kyle Evans Memorial Golf Outing. This event focuses on preventing new opioid addictions, raising awareness, and helping people realize they are not fighting their addiction alone. The outing was held at Harbor Pines Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township June 13, 2022. The 2023 Kyle Evans Memorial Golf Outing will return to Harbor Pines Friday, May 5.

David Beyel Jr. and Jason Dugan presented the $20,000 check to Shore Chief Development Officer and CFO David Hughes Tuesday, Feb. 28. Beyel and Dugan, along with Nick Canderan and Ryan Scully are members of OAR13, a nonprofit organization focused on attacking the opioid epidemic at its source and supporting new treatment methods in the community.

We are extremely thankful to OAR13 for their generous support, and we are proud to join them in the fight against the opioid epidemic in our community, Hughes said in a release.

We have taken several measures to attack the problem at its core, including instituting new evidenced-based programs for pain management, pharmacy Administrative Director Mathew Piskun said. We've also changed the metric that we look at for opioid use. We are now focusing on giving patients the minimum amount of doses required for pain management, and the length of time patients receive opioids for pain relief. All providers are required to participate in continuing education on opioid and pain management so they are up to date on our policies and procedures related to this issue.

To date, OAR13 has donated $40,000 to Shore Medical Center to help in the fight against opioid abuse. These funds support new initiatives and programs implemented at Shore Medical Center, including:

Inpatient and Emergency Department Power plans. These updated plans include evidence based multimodal pain management strategies.

IV push diphenhydramine (Benadryl) restriction.
- Implemented to deter drug-seeking behavior due to the euphoric effects of administering diphenhydramine quickly.
- Administration of IV diphenhydramine is still permitted as an IV piggyback of more than 30-60 minutes for patients who require this medication for the itching often experienced after receiving high doses of IV opioids

Naloxone Discharge Kits: Shore is providing Naloxone Discharge Kits to patients who present to Shore Medical Center after an opioid overdose or who display signs/symptoms of opioid and/or IV drug abuse. A Naloxone Discharge Kit Contains: 1 dose of nasal naloxone, information on how to use nasal naloxone for patients and caregivers, a JTAC Alcohol and Drug Treatment Resource Guide, and New Jersey Syringe Access Program Information.

Shore is also piloting a Pharmacy Pain Consult Service as a pharmacy resident research project. Providers can contact a pharmacist to perform a comprehensive chart review and provide patient-specific pain management recommendations.

OAR13 stands for Opioid Addiction and Recovery, with the 13 in honor of their friend Kyle Evans, who wore #13 as a star player on the Ocean City High School soccer team. In 2005, Kyle led the Ocean City High School boys' soccer team to an undefeated season the only one in Cape-Atlantic League history. Kyle passed away on Nov. 1, 2017, shortly after his 30^th birthday.

For additional information, sponsorships and volunteer opportunities for the Spring 2023 outing, email [email protected].