Fighting the opioid epidemic by introducing an innovative role in bedside patient care, Cammie Wolf Rice and the CWC Alliance are working tirelessly to prevent opioid addiction at the hospital level. This innovative role, the Certified Life Care Specialist (LCS), will ensure patients receive the guidance and resources they need to manage pain safely, focusing on opioid education, mental wellness support, and effective (non-opiate) pain management strategies before they ever leave the hospital. Coffee Regional Medical Center is proud to partner with Cammie Wolf Rice and the CWC Alliance to bring this mission to life in our community.
In 2018, Cammie founded the Christopher Wolf Crusade (CWC Alliance) to end opioid misuse before it begins. After spending countless hours in the hospital with her son, Christopher, she recognized a fundamental gap in his care – there was not one professional dedicated to educating him or his family about the risks associated with his prescribed pain medication. As a result, Christopher struggled with opioid misuse and tragically lost his life after a 14-year battle. Determined to change this for other families, Cammie has made it her mission to prevent addiction through proactive education and support at the patient-care level.
Thanks to the hard work of the CWC Alliance and their prestigious advisory board, Life Care Specialist Certification is offered with CME certified coursework from Mercer University School of Medicine. The coursework equips caregivers with the knowledge and skills to implement patient care consistent with the standards set by the CWC Alliance. The Life Care Specialist is equipped to address the missing piece in healthcare: comprehensive pain coaching. This approach believes that preventing addiction starts at the bedside by ensuring patients and their caregivers receive education, support, and alternative pain management strategies while in the hospital, before opioid dependency begins.
Through the support and partnership of CWC Alliance, Coffee Regional Medical Center now has two Life Care Specialists on staff, dedicated to guiding patients through both the physical and emotional challenges of pain management. The LCS role is critical in educating patients and families on prescribed pain medications, offering non-narcotic pain management techniques, and ensuring they have the knowledge of proper medication disposal after discharge. By providing education and validation to those experiencing pain, they help reduce the risk of opioid dependence before it begins. During a recent visit to Coffee Regional, Cammie Wolf Rice led essential training for our staff in the role of Life Care Specialists and the importance of opioid and behavioral pain management education in patient care. Her vision is to implement preventative pain management measures in hospitals nationwide, particularly in rural communities where resources may be more limited.
Cammie Wolf Rice is an addiction prevention activist, author and former financial services tech executive. As the founder of the Christopher Wolf Crusade (CWC) and author of The Flight: My Opioid Journey, she has dedicated her life to ending addiction through education, advocacy, and proactive patient care. CWC Alliance, a 501(c)(3) organization, continues this mission by equipping hospitals with the tools and support needed to fight opioid addiction at its root cause.
Coffee Regional Medical Center is proud to partner with CWC Alliance and grateful for Cammie’s unwavering commitment to ensuring patients receive the pain management support they need – without the risk of addiction. For more information on CWC Alliance and its mission, visit https://cwc.ngo/.