Substance use disorders cost billions each year in terms of mental and physical health problems, and they are now the third largest cause of death in the U.S. Overdoses from opioids and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl as well as methamphetamines and cocaine are now the #1 cause of accidental death in the nation. In 2021, fatal overdoses surpassed 107,000 in the U.S.—the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a single year—and more than 175,000 deaths in the U.S. were related to alcohol and other drugs. But the numbers don't tell the personal story of the millions of lives impacted and what's being done to bring about change.

That's where today's episode of Mission: Recovery comes in... helping to bridge that gap between statistics and the human toll of addiction on a nation dealing with a deepening crisis. We hear an inspiring and hopeful story of how the national nonprofit organization Shatterproof is making strides to end the stigma of addition—a powerful barrier to treatment—while improving the quality and accessibility of care.

Caroline Davidson, Vice President of State Engagement for the ATLAS team at Shatterproof, talks with us about the work that her organization is doing to reverse and end the addiction crisis in America. She brings us her personal story of recovery along with the joy of taking part in the success of the recent Shatterproof “Rise Up Against Addiction” walk and fundraiser. Caroline also describes in detail the Shatterproof ATLAS platform, a website resource that helps people search various addiction treatment facilities based on quality. This powerful and growing resource is giving an increasing number of people across the nation access to information about confidential care and treatment for substance use disorders.

Continued access to telehealth services, particularly as it relates to medication assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders (SUDs), enjoys strong support and is an issue worth keeping an eye on. Nate Lacktman and Sunny Levine of the prestigious law firm of Foley & Lardner discuss the current state of telehealth regulations in the wake of COVID-19, which saw the expansion of telehealth services for people with substance use disorders, including opioid and alcohol use disorder.

However, with each passing month, it appears the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is more likely to come to an end, and along with it the waivers that have allowed providers in much of the country to write prescriptions for MAT such as buprenorphine with naloxone for opioid use disorders (OUDs)--a scenario referred to as the Telehealth Cliff.

In this Episode, Nate and Sunny talk about the future of MAT, the importance of ePrescribing for SUDs and OUDs, pending legislation or rulemaking that could make virtual MAT permanent, and how the public can help influence upcoming decisions on ePrescribing policies.

Adrian is a supervisor at a global manufacturing company. A harrowing car accident in 2005, followed by the economic crash in 2008, resulted in an addiction to pain killers along with smoking. Today, with the help of Quit Genius, Adrian’s professional life is thriving; however, he’s having trouble quitting smoking. Adrian talks us through how the Quit Genius program (offered as a health benefit through his employer) is completely different from other programs he’s tried. By using the app and participating in the program, he’s finally taking the steps necessary to quit smoking once and for all.

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Get in touch: www.missionrecoverypodcast.com I www.quitgenius.com I maroof@quitgenius.com