Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 12 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Substance abuse treatment program offers care and counters stigma

Taylor Sisk

August 06, 2024 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Asheville, North Carolina

Project CARA (Care that Advocates Respect/Resilience/Recovery for All) supports pregnant and parenting people with substance use disorders, providing healthcare, addiction resources and obstetrics care in one spot. The program's hub-and-spokes model makes care more accessible, especially for those in remote areas. Data from the Project also indicates that participants of the program are more likely to attend prenatal and postpartum appointments than those outside of the program.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Kentucky Program Supports Inmates With Substance Use Disorder

Taylor Sisk

March 19, 2024 |

The Daily Yonder |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Greenup County, Kentucky

First Day Forward provides support and assistance to people with substance use disorders who are reentering the community after incarceration in seven rural counties. The program is driven by peer-support specialists who have lived experience to provide trusting support to those seeking assistance. The program has been shown to work as the recidivism rate for those who’ve successfully completed it has dropped to 23.5%, compared to 53.2% in a nearby county.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In One Community, Faith-based Services Fill the Gaps When Government Can't – or Won't

Taylor Sisk Laura Harbert Allen

December 13, 2023 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Charleston, West Virginia

The Bream Memorial Presbyterian Church works with other area organizations to help locals facing a range of challenges, from food insecurity to addiction. The efforts particularly focus on Black residents to fill the void left by local, state and federal government agencies. The church provides support and necessary supplies through its Showers, Health Care and Outreach Program (SHOP), as well as domestic violence counseling, housing assistance and addiction treatment.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Once-Resistant Rural Court Officials Begin to Embrace Medications to Treat Addiction

Taylor Sisk

June 29, 2023 |

KFF Health News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Dandridge, Tennessee

Amidst the ever-present opioid crisis, there has been a shift among judges, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies beginning to let go of the stigma associated with medication for opioid use disorder. As of 2022, more than 90% of drug courts in communities with high opioid mortality rates have reported that they allow medications to be used to treat addiction. Some areas have also seen the emergence of drug recovery courts that specialize in helping people facing addiction get treatment, rather than jail time.

Read More
Go to Original Story
'Harm Reduction Saves Lives': Meet the Appalachians Doing the Work

Taylor Sisk Stacy Kranitz

March 30, 2023 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Several groups in the Appalachian region are turning toward harm-reduction strategies to help those struggling with drug abuse. Research shows that those who participate in syringe exchange programs are five times more likely to enter treatment than those who didn’t participate. Groups like Holler Harm Reduction and Choice Health Network host scheduled drop-ins where they deliver supplies, provide naloxone training and education, and administer disease testing wound care to those in need.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Tackling Rural America's 'Hidden' Housing Crisis

Taylor Sisk Jan Pytalski

March 15, 2023 |

The Daily Yonder |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Roseburg, Oregon

Organizations like the Gary Leif Navigation Center are providing housing services and support to those in need. The Gary Leif Navigation Center opened in the summer of 2022 and is a low-barrier shelter that provides 10 pods for individuals to sleep and store their belongings in. Due to increased need, plans are currently underway to expand the Center, adding an additional 30 beds.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Medication and Recovery: Doctors Say Access to Critical Addiction Care is Difficult in Appalachia

Taylor Sisk

October 21, 2021 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wise, Virginia

The Health Wagon provides medical care to those experiencing addiction. The Health Wagon also provides services for those in recovery, including medications, counseling, and peer support groups in an effort to reduce relapses and overdose deaths which have skyrocketed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In Southwest Virginia, Reestablishing a Rural Hospital System Requires Rebuilding Trust

Taylor Sisk

July 08, 2021 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Virginia

When two hospital systems merged to create Ballad Health, agreements ensured all hospitals would stay open for at least five years and essential services in each of the rural and poorly served counties would be maintained. Enforceable price controls lowered patient costs and, in an effort to rebuild community trust and improve overall health, $308 million was committed to community-based care. The community health programs are based on the missions of organizations like Health Wagon, which serves its rural patients by forming personal relationships, being easily accessible, and understanding their needs.

Read More
Go to Original Story
‘This Isn't a Dying Coal Town,' It's a West Virginia Community Rethinking Health Care and Succeeding

Taylor Sisk

July 01, 2021 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Williamson, West Virginia

Williamson Health and Wellness Center is a federally qualified health center in rural West Virginia, that provides medical, dental, and mental health care as well as chronic-disease management and wellness coaching on a sliding scale. The health center addresses social determinants of health with programs like fresh produce delivery, a community garden, and workforce development. The community health worker program has seen success by hiring local people to visit patients at home and work with them to monitor their blood sugar, take their medications properly, and learn healthy lifestyle choices.

Read More
Go to Original Story
From Appalachian Cities to Hollers, Community Health Workers Are a ‘Course Correction to Inclusion'

Taylor Sisk

May 18, 2021 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kentucky

Awareness is growing that community health workers (CHWs) are an effective way to address social determinants of health and reduce health inequities. The success of CHWs is due to the fact that they share life experiences with their patients and their ability to build trust. For example, the cadre of CHWs working in rural and urban Appalachia go into their patients’ homes to provide fundamental care – like monitoring vital signs and blood sugar -- and discuss quality-of-life issues – like nutrition and exercise. Being in the home allows them to gain insight that doctors in an office don’t have access to.

Read More
Go to Original Story