Milford Regional Adds Addiction Care Team

Milford Regional Chief Quality Officer and Vice President Bert Thurlo-Walsh, MM, RN, CPHQ

Just in time for International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31, Milford Regional Medical Center recently announced a new Milford Addiction Care Team (MACT) to provide assessments, resources, counseling, and recovery coaching to better care for and treat patients who suffer from alcohol dependency or substance use disorders while they are in the hospital.

The MACT was funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS). Milford Regional was one of 15 hospitals awarded grant funding from the statewide Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund, which is subsidized through legal settlements with opioid manufacturers.

Like healthcare systems throughout the country, Massachusetts hospitals continue to grapple with the addiction crisis. According to the BSAS, Worcester County hospitals had 12,694 substance-related emergency room visits in 2023. In relation to that, in 2023, the state recorded its eighth consecutive year of more than 2,000 deaths due to opioid overdoses, per the Department of Public Health.

However, studies continue to show that interventions through a team of addiction care specialists within a hospital reduces readmission rates and increases participation in treatment.

“Programs that treat people with addictions typically operate outside a hospital setting,” explained Milford Regional Chief Quality Officer and Vice President Bert Thurlo-Walsh, MM, RN, CPHQ. “The creation of Milford Regional’s addiction care team will play a significant step toward providing immediate treatment measures to our patients through compassion, support and respect.”

The MACT consists of a licensed mental health counselor or social worker, recovery coaches and a program analyst. The team is managed by Milford Regional Director of Care Management Ann Wilkins, MSW, LICSW, CPUR, and reports directly to Milford Regional Manager of Behavior Health Jill MacCormack, LICSW. Joining the MACT are Substance Abuse Clinician Lisa Antonio, LMHC, and Substance Abuse Counselor/Recovery Coach Don Canova.