Main Line Health announces launch of Delaware County Overdose Response Team, funded via $560K grant secured by U.S. Rep. Scanlon
Media, PA — Main Line Health and U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (Pennsylvania 5th District) today announced the launch of the Delaware County Overdose Response Team (DCORT), a targeted effort designed as a safety net for overdose patients and to ease the burden on strained Delaware County medical, emergency department and law enforcement resources.
The program was made possible by Rep. Scanlon securing $560,000 in grant funding. The program enables a community paramedic and a certified recovery specialist (CRS) to partner on overdose 911 calls, working to encourage patients to go directly from the scene to a treatment center as appropriate.
"I want to express my deep gratitude to Congresswoman Scanlon for her work to secure this federal grant," said Jack Lynch, FACHE, President and CEO, Main Line Health. "For decades now, we have seen a worsening opioid epidemic – someone in Delaware County overdoses every seven to nine minutes. When we identified a way to make a difference by assembling a team with the mission to get overdose patients into treatment, she moved quickly and put in the hard work to make it happen."
Rep. Scanlon said she considered Main Line Health's funding request critical to the Delaware County community, where over 65,000 doses of Naloxone were administered by EMS from 2019–2021.
"As Delaware County has battled one of Pennsylvania’s highest instances of opioid use disorders, and a spike in overdose deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the positive impact of evidence-based, community resources," said Rep. Scanlon. "That’s why I am so proud that we were able to secure $560,000 for Delaware County’s mobile Overdose Response Team. This overdose response team will serve as a vital safety net, providing immediate, on-the-ground intervention and support for those in crisis while easing the burden on overworked medical and emergency service providers."
A key grant component is funding a new CRS position at Mirmont Treatment Center, part of Main Line Health. The community paramedic's role is to provide stabilizing care. The CRS's role is to engage with the patient as a peer in a nonjudgmental way, trying to conduct a handoff to an appropriate rehabilitation center.
"Acting alone, first responders lack the support or resources to direct overdose patients to the behavioral health resources they need," said Valerie Schina, Executive Director, Mirmont Treatment Center. "This program allows us to assist first responders by intervening with patients struggling with substance abuse and mental health disorders. When patients are connected to a treatment resource, disrupting repeated calls to the same sites, the chances of a better long-term outcome are much higher."
About Mirmont Treatment Center
For over 40 years, Mirmont Treatment Center, part of Main Line Health, has guided thousands of individuals on their recovery journey by offering comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services for those struggling with substance use and co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses.
Through our affiliation with Sheppard Pratt – one of the nation's largest non-profit providers of mental health and addiction services in inpatient and outpatient care, specialized programs for children and adolescents, adult mental health services and services for individuals with developmental disabilities – we ensure that every patient receives compassionate care in a safe, welcoming environment.
Mirmont Treatment Center’s team of physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists and therapists work together to create an individualized treatment plan for each patient.
About Main Line Health
Founded in 1985, Main Line Health® is a not-for-profit health system serving the Philadelphia region and beyond. Main Line Health consists of five hospitals, six health centers and over 150 medical practice locations. The System has more than 14,000 employees and over 2,100 employed and independent physicians and advanced practice providers.
At its core are four of the region's most respected acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as one of the nation's premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. Main Line Health also includes Mirmont Treatment Center for drug and alcohol recovery; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice, providing skilled home healthcare, hospice and home infusion services; Main Line Health Centers, primary and specialty care, lab and radiology and other outpatient services located in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Exton, King of Prussia and Newtown Square; and Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a biomedical research organization.
Main Line Health's medical staff benefits from a collaborative relationship including independent physicians, community healthcare professionals and hospital-based experts from Main Line HealthCare, the employed multi-specialty physician network of Main Line Health.
Main Line Health collaborates with top experts to deliver exceptional specialty care. Through our affiliation with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, doctors and advanced practice providers care for pediatric patients at select Main Line Health locations, including the neonatal intensive care units at Main Line Health's four acute care hospitals, as well as Bryn Mawr Hospital's Inpatient Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department. Jefferson Health neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists provide 24/7 specialized care, including neurointervention and lifesaving stroke care, and trauma surgeons provide critical care to our patients. Through our affiliation with Sheppard Pratt — a nonprofit provider of mental health services, substance use, developmental disability and other comprehensive behavioral health support — patients receive compassionate care in a welcoming environment.
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