President Trump’s declaration of a public health emergency to address the opioid epidemic brought renewed attention to a crisis that claimed more lives last year than annual deaths from car crashes and gun violence combined. All told, nearly 20 million adults nationally have a substance use disorder (SUD), yet 88% of these individuals do not receive treatment for their conditions. The lack of adequate treatment for SUD most acutely impacts local communities, often through rising rates of incarceration, homelessness, use of the criminal justice system and utilization of emergency departments (ED) and first responder services.
In “Communities in Crisis: Local Responses to Behavioral Health Challenges,” a report from Manatt Health, we highlight how cities and counties are responding to the opioid crisis and untreated mental illness by developing community-driven programs that connect individuals to treatment and social support services. Successful initiatives are creating systems of care that bridge multiple programs to provide coordinated services to individuals with SUD. Here are five elements of successful local programs.
Here are five elements of successful local programs.
Read the article here.