Turning Crisis Into Connection: Hospital Interventions with Peer Recovery Support

Program Details

Presenters: David Hart, M.D., Sunrise Health GME Emergency Medicine Residency & Spencer Costella, PRSS-S, PACT Coalition for Safe and Drug-Free Communities

Provides 1.00 hour of CE/CME credit (Presented on September 25, 2025; Reviewed November 1, 2025; Expires November 1, 2027)
Provides CME credit toward the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners' requirement for 2 hours of training related to ethics, pain management, or addiction care during each licensure period.

Online CME Credit Fee: $75.00
Credit must be claimed with 30 days of registering.

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Overview

PACT Coalition for Safe and Drug Free Communities is supporting an engaging presentation on the critical role that emergency departments (EDs) and hospital staff play in connecting patients to substance use treatment. This session will spotlight the unique value of embedding Peer Recovery Support Specialists in the ED, and how their lived experience can enhance patient care and outcomes. This presentation will explore best practices for integrating Peers into hospital workflows, strategies for supporting peer employees, and the impact of their presence on both patients and staff. Attendees will learn from individuals who have helped to integrate Peers into Nevada hospital systems and will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in an open discussion. This event is ideal for healthcare professionals, administrators, and anyone interested in improving substance use care pathways through collaborative, peer-informed approaches.

This session topic is part of a series presented by the PACT Coalition for Safe and Drug-Free Communities o address substance misuse through the Strategic Prevention Framework community-based process and work in collaboration with its members and partners to address policy, system and environmental change. To view all session topics available in this series, please click on PACT Coalition for Safe and Drug-Free Communities Program Series. 

Learning Objectives

Following participation in this course, participants should be able to:

  • Describe the role of Peer Recovery Support Specialists in the emergency department and their impact on patient engagement and connection to substance use treatment
  • Identify key strategies for integrating Peer Recovery Support Specialists into existing ED workflows effectively
  • Discuss best practices for supporting Peer Recovery Support Specialists contractors/ employees within hospital settings, including training, supervision, and workplace culture
  • Evaluate opportunities and challenges in implementing peer support services in emergency departments to enhance referrals and continuity of care for patients with substance use disorders

Program Faculty

David Hart, M.D.

Sunrise Health GME Emergency Medicine Residency

David Hart, M.D. is an emergency physician with TeamHealth and serves as the Program Director for the HCA Sunrise Health Emergency Medicine Residency, where he oversees the training and education of 30 emergency medicine residents at MountainView Hospital. A Las Vegas resident for the past decade, Dr. Hart lives with his wife and four sons. He earned his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, and completed his residency training at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. 

Dr. Hart has developed excitement for initiatives that support patients presenting to the emergency department with opioid-related emergencies. His efforts include successfully adding buprenorphine to the hospital’s pharmacy formulary, developing a training program for emergency providers and other staff on buprenorphine induction from the emergency department, and implementing a naloxone distribution initiative to provide take-home kits for high-risk patients.

Beyond the hospital, Dr. Hart collaborates with fellow physicians and community leaders, including the Southern Nevada Health District, to equip employees of bars in the Arts District and other local businesses with naloxone and provide training on how and when to administer this life-saving intervention.

Spencer Costella, PRSS-S

PACT Coalition for Safe and Drug-Free Communities

Spencer Costella has dedicated the past six years to serving the substance use and recovery community through a range of impactful roles. He began his career in 2019 as a peer support specialist, focusing on harm reduction and community outreach. In this role, he provided vital support to individuals at various stages of recovery, distributing harm reduction supplies and offering guidance to those seeking to begin their journey toward wellness.

Spencer later took on a supervisory role in a hospital-based program that integrated peer support specialists into local emergency departments, providing immediate, compassionate assistance to individuals experiencing substance use-related crises. His work then expanded into prevention services, combining peer support with strategic community-based efforts to reduce substance misuse.

Currently, Spencer serves as a Peer Supervisor at the PACT Coalition, where he oversees peer staff and helps manage multiple grant-funded initiatives. His work continues to focus on supporting individuals in recovery while enhancing the effectiveness and reach of harm reduction and prevention programs across the community.

Program Support

This project has been funded by grant number NH28CE003534 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by the CDC, or the U.S. Government.