Recovery Coaching In and Out of Emergency Departments: an Overview of the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery’s (CCAR) Emergency Department Recovery Coaching Program

Abstract

Many people being treated for substance use disorders leave emergency departments (EDs) without being connected to the appropriate care, resulting in increased risk of overdose, death, and recidivism. Providing recovery coaching services in the ED has been identified as a promising strategy to link people to the appropriate follow-up care and supports. We present a brief history of recovery coaching and describe the Emergency Department Recovery Coaching Program offered by the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery. Some of the lessons learned from this model include providing financial compensation to the recovery coaches, building a professional support network within and outside the organization, and investment of resources in ED staff education, relationship building, and buy-in. Future research should seek to learn from the programs that are being implemented in real-world settings and explore the feasibility and acceptability of integrating recovery coaching into existing services, simultaneously to observing its effectiveness.