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Mental health care becomes team effort in NH as coronavirus pandemic increases need for working together

Damien Fisher

May 03, 2020 |

Manchester Ink Link |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Manchester, New Hampshire

New Hampshire's community mental health centers are working together to deliver both in-person and telehealth services to community members during the coronavirus pandemic. All 10 of the state's centers are "sharing ideas and helping each other with what is working and identifying what isn’t working," while also working to help reduce barriers to health care access for those experiencing homelessness.

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America's Other Epidemic: A new approach to fighting the opioid crisis as it quietly rages on

Beth Macy

May 01, 2020 |

The Atlantic |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Batesville, Indiana

To close a gap in drug treatment that often denies help to people who end up jailed, a hospital employee schooled in the strong evidence of effectiveness of medication-assisted treatment cobbled together a program using Medicaid funding and the cooperation of the courts and medical community. The program is rare in rural America. Though still small, the Courts Addiction & Drug Services program ended its first year with no overdoses, and only a handful of relapses, among its dozens of participants. In a region where MAT drugs are nearly impossible to get, the program is now working to expand its services.

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As pandemic time extends, so does use of telehealth

Roberta Baker

April 27, 2020 |

The Laconia Daily Sun |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Laconia, New Hampshire

The coronavirus pandemic has prompted health insurance companies to support coverage of telemedicine across the United States, and in New Hampshire, mental health counselors are seeing many advantages to the practice. Although some aspects of in-person appointments and consultations cannot be replicated virtually, overall, telemedicine has eliminated a number of barriers for many patients.

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Coronavirus Crisis Opens Access To Online Opioid Addiction Treatment

Phil Galewitz

April 23, 2020 |

Kaiser Health News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Walnut Creek, California

Addiction experts have been offering online counseling for addiction patients for years but have also been working to change a federal law that required patients seeking medications to help with withdrawals to first make an in-person appointment. The coronavirus pandemic has now expedited that change, and with the regulation lifted, doctors are able to offer medication-assisted treatment via online appointments in addition to the counseling.

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Portugal's answer to the heroin crisis

Aubrey Whelan

April 22, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Portugal, Lisbon

When faced with an opioid crisis, the government in Portugual made a drastic decision to decriminalize drug use. This shift in policy allowed for a shift in perspective – addiction problems could now be treated as a public health issue, rather than a criminal issue. This approach resulted in a significant decrease in overdoses, and is now a model that U.S. cities, such as Philadelphia, are looking at to learn from.

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12-Step Recovery Programs Adapt in the Age of Social Distancing

Jessica Santina

April 12, 2020 |

The Sierra Nevada Ally |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Reno, Nevada

When the size of group gatherings began to be limited to prevent the spread of COVID-19, recovery programs had to rethink how to hold meetings – such as moving groups to online formats. Although there are limitations to not meeting in-person, this format has increased accessibility for many participants and allowed them to join meetings from outside of their typical region.

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Revive: A fatal overdose, a stunning coincidence, and a mother's long quest to heal.

Max Blau

March 26, 2020 |

The Atavist Magazine |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

A mother's grief and a doctor's determination led to the first syringe-exchange center in Florida – a significant first step in increasing conversation around the merits of harm reduction policies. Since opening, the center has "collected 360,000 dirty syringes, provided medical treatment to 1,200 people, and helped 200 patients detox," while also reversing 1,450 overdoses, which has prompted five other counties to lift their syringe-exchange bans.

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Support groups grapple with social distance and isolation

Carl Segerstrom

March 25, 2020 |

High Country News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Social connection is crucial to recovery for people participating in Alcoholics Anonymous, but the quarantine mandated by the coronavirus has made that impossible. Support groups across the state of Washington are grappling with isolation and, in response, have started meeting over Zoom instead. This article talks to several participants to get their take on it. One person in particular said that meeting online has allowed them to attend more meetings, and it has been a source of comfort during quarantine.

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This is what sobriety in a time of crisis looks like

Will Peischel

March 24, 2020 |

Mother Jones |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Havre De Grace, Maryland

As meetings and social gatherings of all kinds have been postponed or canceled altogether, the support group Alcoholics Anonymous faced a particular challenge given the imperative and power of their in-person meetings. Fortunately, many chapters have moved their meetings online, to video conference services like Skype or Zoom.

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Nowhere to Go: Out of jail, recovery housing hard to find

Hadley Barndollar

March 15, 2020 |

Seacoast Online |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

New Hampshire's Rockinham County gives some people with extensive drug and criminal histories an offramp from the criminal legal system, in the form of housing at Cross Roads House and a drug court to emphasize treatment over punishment. But, while other cities in the state meet such needs with multiple programs, the second-most populous county in the state has a severe shortage of supportive housing and services. Such services can make the difference between prison and success, and even between life and death in a place with high rates of overdose deaths.

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