Tobey Hospital Program Teams Up with Gosnold to Tackle Opioid Crisis

Dr. David McGinnis

WAREHAM – Tobey Hospital is launching a new program aimed at the region’s opioid epidemic.

They’re bringing a Gosnold “recovery coach” into Tobey emergency rooms after overdose victims have been treated to encourage them to pursue further treatment.

Chair of the Emergency Department at Tobey, Dr. David McGinnis, said Wareham is an area in which the opioid crisis is particularly acute.

“Once the patient is medically stable, that’s when the recovery coach will jump in,” he said. “The opiate addiction is a real illness and unfortunately there’s a real stigma attached to it.”

McGinnis said that stigma often leads addicts to feel marginalized and often leads to inaction on the part of their own recovery.

Addiction, McGinnis said, leaves the patients’ lives in chaos, making a simple doctor’s appointment a challenge.

“If you don’t have a car or a phone, how are you going to call and make an appointment?” he said.

The pilot program originated from a Gosnold grant and will also help treat those struggling with alcohol and other drug addictions at both of Tobey’s major locations.

McGinnis said he wishes a program like this could roll out on a state-wide level, but there are simply not enough mental health beds and organizations like Gosnold to handle the full scope of the issue.