Recovery

November 18, 2020 | Fact Sheets, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Substance Misuse

The first recovery high schools were intended to provide post-treatment services immediately after an adolescent left a residential treatment or outpatient program and continue to evolve. In addition to providing students with an education, recovery high schools’ intense post-treatment services often include: (1) help with focusing on relapse prevention; (2) encouraging compliance with a wide range of social services to provide additional support; (3) teaching problem-solving skills so that students can learn to cope with anger, depression, and anxiety; and (4) providing a non-using social network. Recovery high schools, designed specifically for students recovering from a substance use disorder, also provide ancillary programs to encourage familial involvement in the teen’s recovery. ...

August 27, 2020 | Controlled Substances, Innovative Initiatives, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Substance Misuse

The CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets) mobile crisis intervention program responds to non-police emergencies in the cities of Eugene and Springfield, Oregon. CAHOOTS teams are staffed by a medic and a mental health crisis worker, and receive over 500 hours of training, which includes education on de-escalation and crisis intervention. ...

August 19, 2020 | Electronic Health Records, Fact Sheets, Health Data, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Treatments

In the early 1970’s, as part of its efforts to increase treatment for substance use disorder and reduce the stigma surrounding such treatment, the federal government enacted the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972. That Act included a statutory provision for the confidentiality of patient records, now codified at 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2. This section provides the legal basis for regulations first adopted in 1975 that supplement and expand on the confidentiality provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2. These regulations, known colloquially as “42 C.F.R. Part 2” or just “Part 2”, provide increased protection for the records of patients receiving treatment for substance use disorder. Subsequent amendments over the years to both 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2 and 42 C.F.R. Part 2 served to modernize, clarify, and expand upon the protections granted by the original provisions. This fact sheet provides information about federal laws related to privacy protections for treatment records....

July 15, 2020 | Fact Sheets, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Substance Misuse

With hard to reach populations, one of the most effective engagement strategies is through community outreach. By meeting individuals where they are, community outreach programs can gain their trust and that of the community and provide people with health care, social services, and harm reduction assistance. One popular method of community outreach is through mobile outreach vehicles (MOVs) which usually consist of large vans, trailers, or campers that are customized to provide health care and harm reduction services in targeted communities. A large benefit over brick and mortar clinics is the fact that MOVs are ambulatory and can travel to those who most need services. Additionally, one MOV can service multiple neighborhoods and can travel to targeted areas in the community as drug use patterns emerge. This fact sheet provides information about mobile outreach vans and the services that they provide to at-risk communities....

February 26, 2020 | Controlled Substances, Fact Sheets, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Recovery, Substance Misuse

Inmates have recently begun fighting back against state prison policies that ban MAT medications in correctional facilities by arguing in court cases that these policies violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution. As courts begin to rule in favor of the inmates, states will need to reconsider their policies on MAT in correctional settings to avoid future lawsuits. ...

November 12, 2019 | Public Health, Recovery, Reports & Studies

This statement describes (1) what is known about the prevalence of recovery homes across the United States; and (2) investigations and actions selected states have undertaken to oversee such homes. It is largely based on GAO’s March 2018 report (GAO-18-315). For that report, GAO reviewed national and state data, among other things, and interviewed officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, national associations, and five states—Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, and Utah. GAO selected these states based on their rates of opioid overdose deaths, their rates of dependence or abuse of alcohol and other drugs, and other criteria....