Every day at BHG, we get to witness recovery in motion. And it’s because of all of you and how we practice a whole-person-and-community approach that our patients feel supported and are motivated to do the hard work of battling addiction. Through your guidance, patients see they are not alone and that a long, healthy future is possible. Our work helps to reignite the strongest, natural medicine there is — hope. While I believe we should show appreciation to each other daily for what we do, I want to draw your attention to the theme of this year’s National Recovery Month:
That statement echoes our pursuit of all people having access to recovery solutions. This past year-and-a-half, you’ve stayed the course through two public health crises: the surge in opioid overdoses and the pandemic. You’ve remained committed as we’ve increased the number of treatment centers and caseloads, moved from cash-pay to third-party payors and rolled out the Integrated Dynamic Care Model. Everything we are doing is making “recovery for everyone” a reality.
Social determinants of health
Focusing on every person, every family and every community is critical to recovery. Science tells us how social determinants of health (SDOH) impact all human beings. While lifestyle and genetics affect our health, the environment we live in, and the resources we have at our disposal, have enormous impacts as well. Those impacts are especially evident for the more than 50 million people in this country who are choosing between getting their medications, paying rent or buying food. The presence or absence of the most basic needs impact where our patients are on their recovery journey.
We know that addiction doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the kind of person it affects, but access to treatment for it does. Moreover, there are compelling data around how different crises affect different groups. Opioid addiction has hit lower socio-economic groups, evidence of which can be seen at the zip code level. There are systemic and structural barriers such as the International Trade Agreement where the Chinese government is not cracking down on exporting fentanyl ingredients, big pharma pushing products and incentivizing over-prescribing, and racial and income inequalities.
What BHG is doing
All of this has created a crisis of the most vulnerable individuals who don’t have the social and financial “shock absorbers” more affluent people possess, and it’s our job to help reverse that. It’s a daunting challenge, but that’s why BHG is approaching recovery the way that we do. It starts with elemental blocking and tackling.
- During assessments and treatment planning, identify patients’ needs so that we can help them navigate the system and turn those barriers into strengths.
- Lobby the systems that allow these structures to exist.
- Assess, reassess and track the processes by how we guide people to get help. Whether a person is unemployed because addiction is all-consuming, or they have out-of-control asthma or physical injuries, we can help them get back on their feet again by connecting them to community resources such as doctors, workforce development, housing placement, SNAP and food pantries, and financial coaching. We’ve got to be clear on the importance of making sure those things actually happen and that we’re not just giving them a to-do list.
Thank you for all that you continue to do to help us make recovery possible for everyone. As always, please reach out with questions, suggestions and concerns. We’re in this together. Contact me at [email protected] or 603-306-6047. And, please continue to stay informed about COVID-19-related updates on our website.
