Comprehensive Healthcare’s Newest Team Member at the Opioid Treatment Program in Yakima
Comprehensive Healthcare has a new team member, a ZING® robot named R2 Dose-2. Our nurses named him, and they will oversee his automated medication dosing, which allows the center to pour and label methadone doses nearly five times faster than is possible by hand.
Clients can expect to see shorter wait times when picking up their medication, as we will be able to prepare batches of doses in advance, so even those with larger orders move swiftly through the line.
“Previously, nurses manually poured, sealed, and labeled each dose of methadone at the dosing window while clients waited, sometimes for up to 30 minutes,” said Comprehensive Healthcare’s addictionologist, Dr. Gillian Zuckerman. “Nurses can prepare about 85 doses an hour by hand, while R2 Dose-2, our new ZING robot, is capable of preparing up to 400 doses an hour.”
Comprehensive Healthcare is among the first Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) in Washington state to implement ZING, and the first clinic east of the Cascades to do so. The system will allow the organization to serve more clients more quickly, while reducing the time-consuming workload that has limited nurses’ capacity to engage directly with clients.
“Our team members are excited to refocus their time on what matters most, patient care,” said Dr. Zuckerman. “As demand for opioid treatment continues to grow, so does the need for human-centered care. By automating methadone dosing, our nurses will have more time for meaningful interaction with clients.”
Comprehensive Healthcare is proud to bring solutions like ZING to behavioral healthcare in central Washington, furthering our mission to provide innovative, integrated healthcare, community education, and services to individuals, families, and organizations.
