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Assessments with Alcohol on Board

Washburn County HHSD/Northwest Connections change team successfully decreased emergency detentions through improved assessment processes in alcohol-related crisis situations. By enhancing communication with local departments and implementing a new assessment tool, they achieved reduced hospitalizations and costs. Ongoing collaboration will maintain best practices and share outcomes with other counties for potential adoption.

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Assessments with Alcohol on Board

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  1. Assessments with Alcohol on Board Washburn County HHSD/Northwest Connections Shell Lake, Wisconsin Change Team Members: Jim LeDuc, Iris Ostenson, Telephone/Mobile Crisis Teams

  2. AIMs • Big Aim: Reduce re-hospitalization • Little Aim: Identify and reduce the inappropriate use of Chapter 51.15(ED) hospitalizations for crisis situations where alcohol is a primary issue. By reducing these hospitalizations we will be reducing hospitalization in general, which contributes to the big AIM. • Reviewed data over the last three years and identified many of the ED cases also had AOD concerns on board • Conducted case by case review for the first three quarters of 2012 • We wanted to identify “was alcohol prevalent and the leading issue in the majority of these cases.?” • We began reviewing each case that resulted in an ED that had alcohol on board for appropriateness and those that had alcohol on board that did not result in an ED –what was done differently? • What we identified is that if we could hold the assessment process until the person was no longer incapacitated by AOD, we would be better able to assess for acute inpatient care needs

  3. Change Plan • Increase assessment content to better explore primary issue at time of contact(MH, alcohol, drug, etc) • Delay the detention and admission process with individuals who’s primary issue at the time of contact is alcohol/drug intoxication • Increase communication with local emergency room departments to accept individuals with alcohol/drug intoxication until they are able to be assessed • Increase communication with local law enforcement to take individuals with alcohol/drug intoxication for medical attention until they are able to be assessed • Any time that a situation appears to be an ED no community safety plan can be developed, mobile will be sent vs. an over the phone approval

  4. Change Project Data • Quarter 1: • Reviewed data from previous 3 years • Identified small Aim • Case by case review • Trained staff in new assessment tool • Quarter 2: • Implemented new assessment tool • Case Review • LE/Hospital Discussions • Quarter 3: • Case Review • Increase staff guidelines /protocols to match change plans

  5. Adopt, Adapt, Abandon • All change methods were adopted • The ongoing relationship with hospitals and law enforcement was key in implementation of three of the four changes that were made • The new assessment tool not only increased screening for situations with AOD on board but also increased screening for risk and protective factors thus showing the decrease in emergency detentions overall

  6. Impact and Plan • Impact • Reduced the number of individuals civil liberties being taken away by placing them on an emergency detention • Reduced the number of trips to acute inpatient care facilities • Reduce the cost to county systems with un-necessary emergency detentions • Increases validity of assessment process • Plan • On-going collaboration with this team to maintain best practice assessment standards and communication • Share this project data and outcome with other counties in this region for possible adaptation

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