skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Online Recovery Day Offers Help for Drug-Abuse Patients

play audio
Play

Thursday, September 17, 2020   

CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- With drug abuse on the rise during the COVID-19 shutdowns, the first-ever National Online Recovery Day next week will highlight the availability of telehealth drug treatment for 20 million Americans struggling with substance-use disorders.

West Virginia, especially, has seen a spike in opioid overdoses since the start of the pandemic and experts say it's because many users are unable to attend in-person recovery programs.

Ashley Loeb Blassingame, substance-abuse counselor and co-founder of online provider Lionrock Recovery, said the Recovery Day campaign urges people who need help to take the first step.

"So many people affected by substance abuse feel ashamed and fear being stigmatized by their communities," Blassingame said. "And online treatment and support eliminate those barriers for seeking help."

A University of Baltimore report shows drug overdoses in the nation have risen by 18% since March.

West Virginia had a 50% jump in May from the same time last year. National Online Recovery Day is next Tuesday, Sep. 22.

Blassingame said studies show abstinence success rates for online treatment services are twice the national average than for in-person recovery programs. This is partly because people feel more relaxed getting treatment at home.

"People are more able to be vulnerable faster because they're in their home environment," Blassingame said. "They're more comfortable in their relationship with their provider, creating a really strong therapeutic alliance; interestingly, something we did not think was going to be the case."

Drug-overdose deaths rose 5% last year, killing roughly 72,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021