Spokane, Wash.-based MultiCare Deaconess Hospital has administered a long-acting buprenorphine 19 times since launching a pilot program in February 2025 aimed at treating patients experiencing opioid overdose or withdrawal.
The injectable medication provides up to five days of symptom relief and is designed to help patients stabilize and connect with community-based treatment providers, according to a May 12 news release from the hospital.
Sara Welty, DNP, RN, nurse care manager at Deaconess, said the hospital has seen patients stabilize sooner, engage in treatment more consistently and cycle through emergency care less often since the pilot began.
Spokane County has recorded roughly 700 overdose deaths the past two years, most of them accidental. Barriers including unstable housing, transportation challenges and difficulty maintaining daily medication routines can make opioid treatment harder to sustain after discharge, according to the release.
Before the medication “wears off,” patients are connected with partner clinics for continued treatment, including access to monthly injectable medications. Deaconess plans to administer the medication at least five times each month and reassess the program after its first year, the release said.
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