This fall, Presbyterian Española Hospital received the 2023 Quest for Excellence Award for general acute care hospitals from the New Mexico Hospital Association for its continuing work to reduce stigma and enhance treatment for patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Through this project, the Presbyterian Española Hospital team took a hospital-wide approach to addressing alcohol use disorder, with an emphasis on connecting patients and families to peer support resources.
“We are proud of our work to improve care for patients facing addiction, including those individuals in our community living with alcohol use disorder,” said Brenda Romero, hospital chief executive at Presbyterian Española Hospital. “Our entire team has come together to increase the use of lifesaving medications and provide wraparound support for patients.”
Learn more about how Presbyterian Española Hospital is supporting its community through care for people with substance use disorder in this video.
“We’ve made a tremendous difference,” says Dr. Eric Ketcham, Emergency Department physician and addiction medicine specialist, in the video. “From a statistical standpoint, we’ve reduced the rate of repeated visits to the emergency department and reduced readmissions to the hospital, but more important than that, we’re really helping a lot of people get their lives back.”
In addition to the Quest for Excellence Award, Ben Gerke, rehabilitation services manager at Presbyterian Española Hospital, was one of 14 people in the state honored with a Distinguished Healthcare Worker Award from the New Mexico Hospital Association. Gerke was honored as a leader who supports and engages his team to improve patient outcomes.
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