From Bedside to Community: The Power of Peer Recovery Support

Session Description: This session introduces Reverse the Cycle, a peer-led overdose response and recovery engagement model embedded within the Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) system. This innovative program uses Peer Recovery Coaches (PRCs) with lived experience to meet patients at critical moments-offering hope, support, and immediate options for recovery. PRCs provide real-time bedside support, Narcan distribution, harm reduction education, and rapid linkage to treatment for individuals identified through emergency department visits, inpatient admissions, SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment), SDoH (Social Determinants of Health) screenings, CRAFT assessments, and targeted street outreach in high-risk and homeless areas. A key feature of the program is the integration of inpatient medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) induction and bridge prescribing, ensuring patients receive immediate treatment initiation and seamless continuity of care post-discharge. This approach reduces relapse risk and increases engagement with ongoing treatment. Beyond hospital walls, peers collaborate with courts, jails, probation and parole, and reentry programs to support justice-involved individuals, helping them navigate recovery at every stage. They also assist participants with workforce development, connecting them to job training, education, and employment resources to address long-term social and economic needs.Attendees will learn how this model saves lives while generating measurable healthcare savings. ARH has achieved reductions in 30-day readmissions, improved patient satisfaction, and decreased lengths of stay-demonstrating that peer integration benefits both patients and hospitals. Key takeaways include: Embedding peer support into hospital and community workflows Implementing SBIRT, SDoH, and CRAFT screenings Launching inpatient MOUD and bridge prescribing programs Engaging justice-involved populations and supporting reentry Using outreach tracking and data tools for outcome measurement Participants will leave with a replicable model bridging acute care, justice systems, and recovery support in rural, high-need communities.