You are here: / recovery

Tag Archive for: recovery

hawaii - photo credit pixabay - calm-1853872_1920

Hawaii Addiction Treatment Providers Plan

in

SMART Management is proud to serve Hawaii addiction treatment providers with an EHR specifically designed to streamline opioid treatment program workflows. Providers like Ku Aloha Mau dedicate their time to supporting the states efforts to stay ahead of the ongoing epidemic.

In 2019 Hawaii was awarded $2 million in federal grant funds to aid in opioid crisis prevention efforts. This funding helps Hawaii’s Opioid Initiative Action Plan and other proven programs, like those delivering Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT).

Hawaii addiction treatment providers - photo credit pixabay - calm-1853872_1920

This plan includes action areas such as: modernizing healthcare strategies, improving prescribing practices, enhancing data collection, increasing consumer education and prescription harm management with pharmacy-based strategies, and supporting law enforcement and first responders. “Fortunately, Hawaii has not yet experienced the magnitude of the opioid crisis seen in other parts of the country,” said Gov. David Y. Ige in 2017 after the release of Hawaii’s Opioid Initiative Action Plan. “While emerging issues and concerns in the state are on the rise, we have been given a relatively unique opportunity to proactively respond, prepare, and prevent the crisis from reaching the same magnitude.”

For more information on Medication-Assisted Treatment or to find a treatment provider near you visit SAMHSA. If you are a MAT provider and want to learn about improving efficiencies at your facility, please visit SMART’s Solutions page or get to know other SMART EHR partners.

alliance-medical-services-of-pennsylvania-_state-funding-helps-warm-handoff-program

State Funding Helps Warm Handoff Program

in
alliance-medical-services-of-pennsylvania-_state-funding-helps-warm-handoff-program

Associates of Alliance Medical Services, Johnstown. Photo credit: https://ams-johnstown.pinnacletreatment.com/

As a Center of Excellence, Alliance Medical Services of Pennsylvania was recently awarded $500,000 in state funding from Cambria County. Thanks to this funding, they are poised to treat up to 50 additional patients and participate in the Warm Handoff Program.

Warm Handoff Program Decreasing Overdose

In the fall of 2016, Pennsylvania established the Warm Handoff Program. The aim is to increase interactions between recovery professionals and patients after they have suffered an opiate overdose. Individuals who do not receive follow-up care are more likely to relapse. According to Gary Tennis, Secretary of the Pennsylvania DDAP, “There is a very high risk of a repeat overdose in the period right after a person leaves the emergency room for a drug overdose. Our aim is to avoid that risk by getting the survivor directly to treatment without hitting the street at all.”

Another Gap

The inspiration for the Warm Handoff Program was the life-saving drug Naloxone. After years of seeing lives lost to overdose, police officers were ready for a change. Since Naloxone’s availability in 2014, Pennsylvania police have been able to save 1,600 lives. However, this created another gap in the system of care. Tennis explained that “Many people who would have died are now being saved in the ER, but the protocol there has been to release people once they are stabilized or at most given a card with a referral for treatment.”  As the Chairman of the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws, Tennis and his staff reached out to ER’s to begin development of the new program. From there, recovery advocates and professionals like the staff of Alliance Medical Services were able to start providing more assistance.

About Alliance Medical Services

alliance-medical-servicesAlliance Medical Services, a division of Pinnacle Treatment Centers, is an outpatient addiction treatment program located in Johnstown, PA. Their team of trained professionals offers medication-assisted treatment with individual and group therapy. Furthermore, they passionately encourage their patient’s development of healthy and stable living to support their journey to recovery.

Learn more about the SMART Solution or get to know other SMART EHR partners.

 

http://www.tribdem.com/news/cambria-county-approves-state-funding-for-additional-opioid-treatment-specialists/article_d3886fa8-bd8b-11e6-ae70-af6ce895235e.html
http://www.drugfree.org/news-service/warm-handoff-program-aims-get-overdose-survivors-directly-treatment/
http://www.health.pa.gov/My%20Health/Diseases%20and%20Conditions/A-D/Pages/Act-139-of-2014.aspx#.WGv7PmQrI1I

 

EHR for Patient Care at AATOD 2016

EHR for Patient Care at AATOD 2016

in

Patient Care at AATOD 2016

SMART is pleased to announce our return as an exhibitor at the AATOD 2016 Conference in Baltimore, MD. Patient care is this year’s primary focus, “Saving Lives: Access to Improved Health & Recovery.” AATOD brings together thought leaders from across the nation to share their passion for patient care and recovery. As a result, this gathering yields invaluable industry knowledge rarely found all in one place. Learning more about the ever-changing needs of the opioid treatment industry draws us to this conference year after year. Also, we look forward to reuniting with our customers, as well as all treatment providers. Our interactions with attendees directly impact the evolution of our EHR.

Supporting Better Patient Care

EHR for Patient Care at AATOD 2016Last year we saw an influx of new attendees energized to share and learn best practices. This change undoubtedly correlates with the growing opioid epidemic. Our nation’s continuing recovery struggle is what influences the continuous development of the SMART Solution.

Helping providers deliver the best in class patient care is what drives the functionalities we build into our opioid treatment EHR. The carefully designed features of our EHR can help to implement efficiencies across treatment organizations.

For 25 years, SMART Management’s EHR the SMART Solution has helped opioid treatment providers improve collaboration and increase their efficiency. As SMART customer Turning Point of Bermuda said, “Patient files are easily accessible with the press of a button, and we are better able to coordinate patient care initiatives.”

Please stop by booth #307, register to win this year’s gift give away and learn how our EHR can help you improve patient care.

About AATOD

The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence holds this conference every eighteen months. This event brings together national and international opioid treatment professionals for three days of knowledge sharing. More specifically, attendees delve into evidence-based clinical practice, current research breakthroughs, and organizational developments affecting the future of opioid addiction treatment. Also, AATOD works with federal and state agencies to develop guidelines for improving patient care in the substance abuse treatment field. Learn more or discover other substance abuse treatment and EHR events.

JBRC Pleasantville

Success! Opioid Treatment in Pleasantville

in

JBRC PleasantvilleNew to Pleasantville

June, 2016 – Congratulations to the staff and leadership team at John Brooks Recovery Center (JBRC) on the successful opening of a much needed clinic in Pleasantville, NJ. After more than ten years, their efforts are finally being realized as they are poised to bring more addiction recovery services to those in need in Atlantic City and its surrounding communities. Mayor Jesse Tweedle said, “There’s definitely a need for this in the region. Our cops have Narcan now to help with overdoses and they’re saving people. We are all working in a partnership and being proactive to step up and fight substance abuse…”

With the ability to serve up to 700 patients, JRBC looks forward to bringing positive change and recovery to the area. Read the full article.

About JBRC

John Brooks Recovery Center has been helping people find their way out of addiction since 1969. JBRC is a comprehensive, multi-modality, addiction treatment facility, providing both residential and outpatient services.

boston public health commission

Boston Public Health

in

boston public health commissionAbout

The Boston Public Health Commission’s Behavioral Health Services program works to treat individuals affected by addiction. They are licensed by the Department of Public Health. BPHC provides treatment personalized to each addiction treatment patients recovery goals. Their outpatient treatment program includes individualized substance abuse counseling, case management services, vocational resources and relapse prevention services. Moreover, their recovery support services incorporate high-quality, comprehensive, gender-specific and culturally appropriate treatment.

Testimonial

“The SMART system provides real time information that allows staff to feel confident in their clinical decisions.”
– Boston Public Health

APT Foundation, CEO, Lynn Madden

Meeting the Needs of West Haven, APT Foundation

in
apt foundation

APT Foundation, CEO, Lynn Madden

In 2015, there were over 600 reported overdose deaths in Connecticut alone. Of these deaths, 415  have been attributed to heroin use and 186 to fentanyl use .¹‚² According to a survey by the National Institutes of Health nearly 75% of people with drug-use disorders never receive any treatment. “The prevalence and complexity of drug use disorders revealed in this study coupled with the lack of treatment speak to the urgent need for health care professionals to be trained in proper techniques to identify, assess, diagnose, and treat substance use disorders among patients in their practice,” said Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.³

With the number of deaths increasing year over year, APT Foundation is meeting the needs of one community by opening a new treatment facility. This summer their newest location will open in West Haven, CT, a community that has had 15 overdose deaths this past year.4  Since 1970, APT Foundation has been providing outpatient and residential substance use disorder treatment, primary healthcare, outpatient mental health treatment services, medication assisted treatment, family counseling services, and adult education and vocational services. Lynn Madden, APT Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer told the New Haven Register, “Being able to find substance abuse treatment close to where you live has been directly linked to recovery…”.³ Learn more about APT

1.) http://patch.com/connecticut/westhaven/twelve-west-haven-residents-died-opioid-overdoses-2015

2.) http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20160228/fentanyl-a-rising-factor-in-connecticut-overdose-deaths

3.) https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/10-percent-us-adults-have-drug-use-disorder-some-point-their-lives

4.) http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20160512/methadone-clinic-on-front-avenue-in-west-haven-expected-to-open-in-july

discovery-house-program-director

Too Late for Some. Consequences of Maine Underfunding Addiction Treatment

in

discovery-houseThe Bangor Daily News (BDN)  helped give a public voice to substance use treatment facilities during these fiscally turbulent years in Maine. Individuals who are reaching out to get into treatment for their addiction are being wait-listed for long periods of time due to lack of state funding for opioid treatment programs. Maine is finally realizing the depth of their opiate problem and legislators are now taking steps to override the devastating changes. These changes have left thousands of opiate-dependent Mainers without treatment access.

Discovery House‘s Program Director Brent Miller spoke with Bangor Daily News about his clinic’s wait-list. Currently he has 550 methadone patients with approximately 61 people on their ever-growing wait-list. As soon as they are able to take in a new patient they call them, however, many times that individual has become unreachable for reasons like hospitalization, imprisonment or death from overdose. Brent told BDN, “You ought to celebrate that a person is reaching out to get well…We impugn them at every turn and make it difficult for them to actually do it. That’s why it’s a miracle that people are able to fight through the prejudice and actually get into recovery.”

There are whispers of treatment facility reimbursement rates being raised, but for now its just a waiting game. Read the full article

las-vegas-ncbh

Las Vegas is Calling

in

las-vegas-ncbhNational-Council-2016The National Council for Behavioral Healthcare (NatCon) ’16 Conference is March 7-9th at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas Nevada. This year’s program promotes a full schedule. Influential thinkers, industry leaders, and specialists are slotted to present invaluable information in a variety of educational sessions, workshops, and events.

Visit us at booth #815 and register to win this year’s gift give-away. Our Software Team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have and to demonstrate the features in SMART’s EHR.

We look forward to connecting with our current Partners and to building new relationships.

About National Council

“National Council for Behavioral Health is the unifying voice of America’s community mental health and addictions treatment organizations. Together with 2,000 + member organizations employing 750,000 staff, they serve our nation’s most vulnerable citizens – more than 8 million adults and children living with mental illnesses and addiction disorders. They are committed to ensuring all Americans have access to comprehensive, high-quality care that affords every opportunity for recovery and full participation in community life.”

Discovery-House-New-Location

Discovery House Opens New Location in PA

in

Discovery House Opens New LocationDiscovery House, The Center of Recovery and Hope, has been treating individuals affected by opioid addiction since 1989. As CARF-accredited facilities, they serve Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Utah providing a wide range of recovery services including medication assisted treatment, counseling and aftercare planning.

On behalf of everyone here at SMART, we would like to congratulate our long-standing partner, Discovery House, on the opening of their newest location in Mechanicsburg, PA.

For years, we have seen their dedication to helping patients succeed and fostering the community awareness that brings them to the level of a trusted recovery resource in the areas that they serve.

With nineteen locations in four states, Discovery House is poised to continue providing the personalized patient care and recovery services that they are known for… while extending their outreach even further.

Ricky Byrd NCAD SMART EHR booth

Our take on NCAD 2015

in
NCAD-ricky-byrd

Keynote speaker and world renowned guitarist of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Ricky Byrd

This was our first year as an exhibitor at the National Conference on Addiction Disorders ( NCAD ). We would like to thank the Vendome Group for welcoming us to the 4-day event at Union Station Hotel in St. Louis. With 900 addiction treatment professionals in attendance at NCAD, this was an excellent opportunity for SMART to meet many professionals directly involved in the critical task of providing patient care. Learning about the needs of midwestern treatment facilities afforded us the opportunity to demonstrate and prove the compatibility and efficacy of SMART’s Software.

Aside from sharing our enjoyable time with the attendees, we also want to highlight the conference proceedings. There was an excellent panel of speakers with diverse backgrounds and experience. As an exhibitor we often miss attending the sessions but we heard many great comments about the keynote speaker, Ricky Byrd, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee and world renowned guitarist of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Not only was he the keynote speaker for the conference, but he also thrilled attendees by performing “Broken is a Place I’ve Already Been.”

He later stopped by the SMART booth, met our staff and indulged us with a few fun photos!

With the serious topic of addiction disorders on our minds, Homerun Henry (a.k.a Doug Edwards, Vice-President and Managing Director of the Vendome Group) helped to keep spirits light by sporting a St. Louis inspired classic style baseball uniform and posed with attendees including the grand-prize winner of the Fiat 500 give away. We were happily surprised when we were awarded third-place for Homerun Henry’s Most Exemplary Attendee Handout Awards…in short everyone really loved our SMART coffee mugs!

NCAD-elizabeth-lenzy

Elizabeth Lenzy, M.A. LPCC-S, Executive Director of The Lenzy Family Institute

We would also like to congratulate our Samsung Galaxy Tab S gift pack winner Elizabeth Lenzy, M.A. LPCC-S, Executive Director of The Lenzy Family Institute. The Lenzy Family Institute is a federally-qualified health organization providing integrated physical and behavioral health services. They work to promote abstinence and mental wellness for people affected by behavioral health disorders by providing substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.

About NCAD

The National Conference on Addiction Disorders ( NCAD ), along with Behavioral Healthcare Executive Summit, has rapidly established itself as a premier, respected, and trusted national conference that provides a diverse educational curriculum on the prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery management of addictions that affect various genders, generations, and cultures.