Partnership to End Addiction

We're excited to announce our partnership with the Oneida County Government Department of Mental Health on EndOD - a mobile alert system that helps prevent overdoses and save lives.   Community members can now receive customized text messages about: ◾ Local overdose spike alerts ◾ Prevention resources and skills ◾ Support services ◾ Community events   Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ezzKGcUc   #HarmReduction #PublicHealth #Community

“I couldn’t be more honored to be running the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon for the Partners for Hope team alongside my cousin Annabelle. We are bonded by the common goal of achieving a world where recovery care is accessible, and addiction is destigmatized.      Throughout my life and experience as someone who has lost family members to addiction, I have used art as a method of coping with grief, frustration, and confusion. As a student in a Master of Art Therapy program, I hope that I can empower people to use art to cope with their pain rather than leaning on substances.     While training for the marathon, I have been thinking of the finish line.  I created this painting to represent the joy that comes from achieving something that once felt impossible. The work also alludes to the importance of support from others along the journey - whether they’re running marathon or on the road to recovery.     I am so thankful for my family, friends, and teammates who made this experience feel possible. I am looking forward to honoring my Uncle Matt, my Grandpa Joe, and my teammates and their loved ones as we take on New York on November 3rd.” -Caroline Burke Runner, Partners for Hope If you'd like to support our team, visit drugfree.org/2024marathon

Many people still struggle to get insurance coverage for mental health and substance use treatment, despite insurance coverage requirements, including the Parity Act.    Several pieces of legislation would strengthen insurance coverage, including the Parity Enforcement Act, Better Mental Health Care for Americans Act, and Behavioral Health Network and Directory Improvement Act. These bills would help improve parity enforcement, network adequacy standards, and integration of behavioral health care.    Go to the Take Action section of our Insurance Resource Center to send letters to your members of Congress urging them to support these bills: https://lnkd.in/gZW6UZaS

This week on Heart of the Matter, Elizabeth Vargas is joined by Former U.S. Representative Patrick J. Kennedy to discuss his book "Profiles in Mental Health Courage," spotlighting a diverse group of people who have struggled with their mental health – many of whom are sharing their stories for the first time. Tonie Dreher “Miss Tonie,” who is featured in this book, also talks about her journey from struggling with addiction and schizophrenia to becoming a mental health counselor. The Kennedy Forum   Listen to their conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen on our website here: https://shorturl.at/jDMhi 

Monitoring the Future’s latest nationwide survey showed the emergence of a recent trend:  8th graders are now misusing cough and cold medicine at higher rates than 10th and 12th graders. Although rates are low relative to other substances, this trend does not follow the typical pattern of any other substance (except inhalants), as older students tend to have higher rates of substance use than younger students. It's the latest reminder of the importance of talking to your children at early ages about substance use. For tips, visit drugfree.org/prevention. Read more from Stop Medicine Abuse: https://lnkd.in/e33Nizg2  #PreventionMonth

Our prevention team has been traveling the country this year talking about how to bring an earlier, broader, and more comprehensive approach to substance-use prevention to schools, communities, and local governments. ◾ Partnership to End Addiction CEO Creighton Drury and our SVP of prevention, Linda Richter, recently led a panel in Kentucky on the use of opioid funding to advance prevention efforts.     ◾ Cori Hammond, MPH traveled to the 2024 Utah Fall Conference on Substance Use Disorders to speak about the importance of bringing a health-based prevention approach to schools and communities.    ◾ Cori also presented at Big Picture Learning’s annual conference, Big Bang, in Memphis. She shared insights with teachers and school administrators on the value of a health-based approach to preventing risky behavior and improving student wellbeing.    ◾ Over the summer, Cori and Linda also attended the National Prevention Network Conference in Phoenix, Arizona to present on the work the prevention team does with our partners in New Jersey and notMYkid in Arizona.      ◾ Creighton and Linda also participated in the Westchester County Co-Occurring Disorders Forum this week. #PreventionMonth Chris Evans Amelia Berry Von Purdy Russell Coleman

AI is making a real difference in mental health training at Partnership to End Addiction. Emily Feinstein shares how AI simulations, powered by Google's Generative AI Accelerator Program, are helping parent coaches practice essential skills, receive instant feedback and build confidence— all at scale. Watch her full discussion with Megan Jones Bell, Director, Consumer and Mental Health at Google, to learn how AI is enhancing education, assessment and intervention in mental health support: https://goo.gle/4hmsD6C

Insurance is complicated and determining whether your plan covers substance use care when you or a loved one needs it can be confusing and overwhelming.  We are excited to share that we’ve created an insurance resource center with a number of resources to help you better understand and use insurance for substance use care.  We share resources covering basics about insurance coverage, what to look for when researching which plan will best meet your needs, what questions to ask your health plan and what you can do if you’re denied care. drugfree.org/insurance Thank you to a number of partners whose excellent insurance coverage are included in this resource center. Legal Action Center, The Kennedy Forum, Cover My Mental Health, NAMI, U.S. Department of Labor, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

So great to talk with Sam Dorison at ReflexAI about how AI-driven simulations have allowed us to better train and support our Parent Coaches at the Partnership to End Addiction! #HLTH2024

October marks 16 years of the Parity Act, a federal law that requires health plans to cover mental health and substance use disorder treatment the same way they cover treatment for any other disease, without additional hurdles or barriers. Despite the law’s promise, individuals and families have continued to encounter numerous barriers and care is unaffordable for many. This year, for the first time in 10 years, the federal government adopted new rules to help improve enforcement and hold plans accountable for complying with the law’s requirements. While these rules should help make affordable care more accessible, it’s important to speak up when your health plan denies you mental health or addiction care or you are otherwise unable to obtain treatment through your plan. There are resources available to help navigate insurance denials, including the U.S. Department of Labor’s Benefit Advisors. Speak up when you are denied care. Never accept an insurance denial. You have the right to appeal. For more info, visit drugfree.org/parity. #ParityAct #addiction