A team of physicians at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) developed the Monterey County Prescribe Safe Initiative as a collaborative effort between physicians, law enforcement, drug recovery centers, pharmacies, and hospital leadership to develop pain management guidelines and protocols to reduce prescription opioid misuse. This initiative, combined with care collaboration, has led to 32 percent fewer opioid-related deaths, a 59 percent decrease in emergency department visits, and an over 50 percent drop in the number of narcotics prescribed at local primary care clinics.
