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Game-Changers: Expanding Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatment in 2024
Substance use disorders (SUD) and overdose deaths remain a serious public health concern: prevalence rates, particularly opioids and fentanyl, and the provisional data on drug overdose deaths continue to climb. These statistics underscore the importance of prevention and access to treatment for...
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Addressing Social Determinants of Health Among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
Over 582,000 individuals on a single night in 2022 across the country were struggling with one of the key social determinants of health: homelessness. The Point-in-Time (PIT) census counts sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. The PIT count is...
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Expanding Affordable Housing and Jobs Programs as Strategies for Addressing the Mental Health and Overdose Crises
Our society is grappling with mental health and overdose crises. In the United States in 2021, 22.8% of adults experienced mental illness,1 and more than 106,000 Americans died from drug-involved overdose.2 As the leader of a New York City nonprofit provider of shelter, housing, health, and...
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Harm Reduction in Treatment: A Simplified Overview
In the past, harm reduction was mainly associated with distributing clean needles to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2022), there were over 100,000 deaths related to drug overdoses in 2022. Treatment has evolved to...
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Opioid Settlement Funds an Opportunity to Strengthen Services
The tragic loss of life and the impact of addiction on families and communities has been escalating in New York State annually almost every year for well over a decade. New York State’s response has been inadequate and lives have been lost as a consequence. Because of a strong federal...
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Substance Use Disorder Prevention and Treatment Services: A Social Justice and Health Equity Perspective
Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) present a complex and multifaceted public health challenge that disproportionately affects marginalized communities, exacerbating existing health disparities and social inequities. These marginalized populations encompass groups facing social, economic, and structural...
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360 is More Than Just an Address, It’s a Model of Care for The Mental Health Association of Westchester
In 2022, preliminary data released by the CDC indicated that more than 100,000 people had died from drug overdoses (CDC). This total marks a new annual record in nationwide drug overdose deaths and is twice the size of 2015’s record, underscoring the alarming escalation of this crisis (NPR, Times...
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Addressing Nicotine Dependence in Patients with Mental Health Concerns and/or Substance Use Disorders
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, accounting for approximately one in five deaths. An estimated 11.5% of U.S. adults are current cigarette smokers. That translates to 28.3 million adults in our country who are currently smoking. More than...
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Quality Integrated Care is Critical for the Recovery of Individuals with Mental Health and Substance Use Challenges
Integrated care works with the whole person in the world they are experiencing including their physical and behavioral health, as well as past trauma and other social determinants impacting their lives. Individuals with co-occurring disorders, when treated holistically, develop a trusting...
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Lessons Learned in Effectively Advancing Co-Occurring Competent Care
Recently, there has been great emphasis on enhancing organizational co-occurring competency and for good reason. Climbing overdose and suicide rates, with bi-directional contribution from mental health (MH) and substance use disorders (SUD), reflect our need to do better serving those with multiple...
