By: Meghan McIntyre – September 12, 2023 12:03 am
Virginians grappling with substance use disorder will soon have greater access to help through an expansion of a peer recovery program launched in Roanoke to other free and charitable clinics in the state.
According to the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia, nearly 500,000 adults in Virginia have a substance abuse disorder. Statewide data also shows fatal drug overdoses, fueled by opioids like fentanyl, have been the leading cause of unnatural deaths in the commonwealth since 2013.
Pioneered at the Bradley Free Clinic in Roanoke, the HOPE Initiative uses certified peer recovery specialists to connect patients with substance use disorder to a network of treatment and recovery services.
Christine Wright, the clinic’s behavioral health program manager, said those services can range from detox, inpatient and outpatient programs to recovery-based housing and mutual support groups like Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous.
“I think that can help someone feel a little safer and less apprehensive if they realize that it’s not just a one-size-fits-all,” Wright said. “There are many options, and they’re the one who makes that decision of what their recovery is going to look like for them.”
Several of those treatments can come at minimal or no cost as well, she said.
The HOPE Initiative, she said, has been very successful — more than 80% of the 2,000 people supported by the program since 2018 have completed treatment or recovery. Data also shows improved access to care and treatment outcomes, she said, as well as increased patient engagement and reduced relapse rates.
The initiative is now set to expand to six other free and charitable clinics through a $500,000 grant awarded this month to the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics from the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation. The Health Wagon, located in Wise County, will be the first to initiate the effort, and the remaining five clinics will be chosen over the next three years.