“Atrium’s SUN program is being reinstated at a time when substance use disorder continues to place significant strain on local emergency departments and inpatient units,” said Jennifer Burcham, external relations manager for Premier Health.
A new partnership with the Butler County General Health District, which secured three years of funding support, has made Nichols’ position possible.
As the SUN, Nichols will meet with patients struggling with addiction, coordinate individualized treatment plans and guide them toward recovery. Her work will include helping arrange referrals, scheduling follow-up appointments and, when needed, arranging direct transportation to inpatient treatment facilities.
Nicholas has worked with substance use patients for 15 years, and she said she “loves” helping with resources and people who are struggling with substance use to “battle what they’re going through.”
Atrium treats more than 1,700 emergency department patients each year for substance use disorder, and two‑thirds of them are Butler County residents, Burcham said. Another 100-plus patients annually disclose substance use disorder during inpatient stays.
Countywide, there were 703 recorded suspected drug overdose emergency department visits in 2025, including 87 suspected fatal overdoses, according to the Butler County Overdose Data Dashboard. As of Feb. 13, there have been 63 suspected overdose-related ED visits in 2026 and four suspected fatal overdoses.
Though Nichols officially starts her position Feb. 16, on Wednesday, Nichols joined hospital staff and health district representatives in assembling 100 patient kits the SUN will distribute to those in need. Each kit includes a blanket, socks, hygiene items, a gas card and other essentials.
Funding for the position was secured through an Ohio Department of Health regional grant, said Jordan Meyer, senior epidemiologist at the Butler County General Health District.
“They wanted (navigators) stationed in different fields,” Meyer said. “Some of them were more community based, some harm reduction, some stationed within healthcare. They identified Butler County as ... where a navigator would be best stationed at.”
Christine Pirot, director of major gifts for the Atrium Medical Center Foundation, said the hospital has spent months working to revive the program.
“It’s been a work out,” Pirot said. “We’ve had to spend time on figuring out how to get this (funded). But we’ve done it, and the proof is in Gloria starting on Monday. And already, we are out of the gate.”
Nichols will work evening hours starting after 4 p.m., because the emergency department sees most substance use disorder patients later in the day. Until funding allows for a second SUN to be hired, social workers in Atrium’s Behavioral Health Unit will handle daytime coverage.
“We are taking a leap of faith knowing this is the right thing to do for our community, for our patients, to get this position back on the road,” Pirot said. “But we are still fundraising to fully fund this program.”
An anonymous donor significantly reduced the initial funding gap, according to Burcham, but $10,500 in annual support is still needed for one full-time SUN, with a total $69,500 gap over the next three years.
To bridge the gap, Atrium Medical Center Foundation has submitted a $180,000 grant request to the OneOhio Recovery Foundation. The proposal would fully fund one full-time navigator for two years, add a second full-time navigator for two years and allow the hospital to provide 24-hour SUN coverage.
“It would take a lot of pressure from all of us to allow this positive energy to go forward without any other barriers,” Pirot said.
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