Drug-assisted recovery has proved to be very effective for people seeking sobriety from opiate addiction. Drugs such as Suboxone, Methadone, and Vivitrol help addicts by eliminating the ability to get high on opiates and curbing their craving. These drugs combined with psycho and behavioral therapy can help people achieve long-term recovery.
Read MoreThe United States has continuously put resources towards fighting the war on drugs, but a recent research collaborative that resulted in a comprehensive model has shown that there is a lot to be learned from the failures of these efforts. Although still in the early stages, the model is being turned into a virtual lab that will serve to test newer strategies to determine realistically adoptable solutions.
Read MoreFor the tens of thousands of individuals struggling with opioid addiction in the United States, breaking their drug habit is never easy, and is often inhibited even by fellow addicts in recovery programs who stigmatize the use of prescribed medications to aid the recovery process, despite their measured success. In Philadelphia, a group called Porch Light is the city's first ever 12-step program to embrace those on a medication-assisted recovery journey, helping to break stigmas and encourage those on the path to a clean start.
Read MoreMerging accountability with treatment promotes recovery for those charged with drug possession. In Franklin County, Ohio, the municipal court system operates a program called Helping Achieve Recovery Together. The court recovery program provides a two-year track for participants to receive mental health support from peers and the courts, with the goal of moving them from the criminal justice system and into treatment.
Read MoreIn 2018, Baltimore passed a harm-reduction bill that allowed the distribution of fentanyl testing strips to assess if fentanyl has been laced into drugs. The decriminalization of these follow similar harm reduction trends that allow for the distribution of safe syringes and naloxone. While proving effective in reducing drug overdoses, because such stigma is attached to addiction, states like Arizona are hesitant to implement such measures, even as advocates and experts call for it.
Read MoreThe Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program in Alamosa, Colorado, gives police officers the option of sending people to substance abuse treatment rather than straight into the criminal justice system. Used in non-violent cases, the diversion program is based on a harm-reduction model that uses a health-care approach rather than a punitive approach to address the underlying issues when a crime is committed. Some police officers object to the program's mission, but proponents say that forcing compliance would be counterproductive.
Read MoreVermont's hub and spoke model of care has gained notoriety as being a system that has successfully played a positive role in creating better access to health care, especially as it relates to the opioid crisis. Now, officials in New Hampshire are looking to scale and adapt the program to work in their state.
Read MoreThe CDC's 2016 guidelines on prescribing opioids for chronic pain attempted to address the opioid-addiction crisis by restricting the supply of the drugs at their source. The guidelines discouraged their use when possible and suggested strategies to taper patients off of them. Since then, thousands of people have lost access to necessary medications and to their doctors, thanks to overreactions to the CDC guidelines that unintentionally led to deaths by street drugs or withdrawal.
Read MoreFifty years on, America's war on drugs has failed at its principal goals: to eradicate illicit drug use and sales, to repair communities damaged by the drug trade, and to prevent drug-related deaths. Despite massive amounts spent on law enforcement, which has created great social harms and fueled incarceration, drug use has rebounded to 40-year highs, drug overdose deaths are peaking, and supply of illegal drugs is abundant. Policy advocates say a combination of legalization and public-health approaches to the problems would accomplish more than the wasteful, ineffective "war" mentality used to date.
Read MoreWhen two hospital systems merged to create Ballad Health, agreements ensured all hospitals would stay open for at least five years and essential services in each of the rural and poorly served counties would be maintained. Enforceable price controls lowered patient costs and, in an effort to rebuild community trust and improve overall health, $308 million was committed to community-based care. The community health programs are based on the missions of organizations like Health Wagon, which serves its rural patients by forming personal relationships, being easily accessible, and understanding their needs.
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