Addiction Provider 'Steps to Recovery' Helps Lower Pennsylvania Overdose Death Rates and Honors Innovation
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. and PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As part of International Overdose Awareness Day, Steps to Recovery—a CIVIQ health provider—and Sunwave Health will honor innovation and commitment to lowering overdose rates during the annual "A Night to Remember" event.
In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, CIVIQ Health's Steps to Recovery is partnering with Recovery Advocates of America and health IT provider for behavioral practices, Sunwave Health, to raise awareness of overdose deaths and to recognize community members and innovators who are helping reduce overdose rates across Pennsylvania, the state with one of the worst drug overdose mortality rates across the country. The three organizations will host "A Night to Remember" on August 25, 2022, with proceeds going to support Recovery Advocates of America and their efforts to provide education and tools that address addiction.
"Our team works tirelessly to drive outreach and connection throughout the community to lower the risk of overdose," said Cory Cooper, chief executive officer for CIVIQ. "The COVID era exacerbated what was already a huge problem. And the rise of synthetic opioids created a perfect storm that has driven overdose rates skyward nationwide. This event and our activities around Overdose Awareness Day drive greater awareness and education on how to prevent overdose deaths within our immediate community."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths rose 30 percent between 2019 and 2020. The impact on minority and underserved communities is worse. Rates increased by 44 percent and 39 percent across Black and American Indian and Alaska Native populations, respectively. In Pennsylvania, home to CIVIQ, statewide rates increased by more than 19 percent between 2019 and 2020. But efforts to curb overdose death rates are expected to help Pennsylvania residents. The latest National Center for Health Statistics projections predict a more than half percentage point rate drop between 2021 and 2022. This makes Pennsylvania one of only four States with an anticipated improvement in overdose deaths.
"Our efforts to lower overdose rates within the surrounding area are powered by our people, their expertise, and the technology that connects patients, clinicians, and services," said Lauren Nolan, director of quality assurance for CIVIQ. "Our partnership with Sunwave Health creates a seamless pathway to admitting, engaging, and staying connected with graduates from our program. It is this connection that helps us prevent overdose, and it is this connection that is helping lower overdose death rates in the communities that we serve."
Established in August 2021, the Biden Administration created Overdose Awareness Week, observed from August 29 through September 4. Since the Presidential Action, substance use disorder providers and the larger behavioral health community set August 31 as International Overdose Awareness Day to help increase awareness and stimulate action and discussion on prevention efforts.
"Overdose deaths and addiction impact communities differently," said Cooper. "The barriers and inequities faced by minority populations and the impact that socioeconomic determinants have on the risk of overdose death require that our providers create custom and tailored treatment pathways to improve outcomes. Doing that means we must have flexibility in our processes, deep connections to community resources, and technology that can adjust to our patients and workflow. Sunwave Health has been a critical piece to our success, and we are thrilled that they are our Ambassador for Recovery Award sponsor at this year's Overdose Awareness Event."
"Being part of Steps to Recovery's efforts to lower overdose rates within the community illustrates the power of our partnership," said Richard Daley, Sunwave Health's chief executive officer. "We work to ensure a lasting and meaningful connection between providers and their patients to address overdose and lower relapse and readmissions. Steps to Recovery is a model for effective outreach and lasting positive addiction outcomes."
Recovery Advocates of America, A 501(c)(3) non-profit peer-to-peer center that strives to provide education around the disease of addiction, will receive all proceeds from the event. A company spokesperson provided the following statement:
"We offer so much of ourselves to helping others into recovery because we have stood in the shoes of the homeless, incarcerated, and chronic relapsers. We have seen how substance use tears good families apart. We have stood with the families who lost a loved one to substance use and felt their pain. We know the immeasurable value of shared experiences. We throw ourselves to this mission because we don't know if this is the time everything changes for them or if it is their first time trying to recover and they don't know where to start, but we know that we want to be there to answer the call and ensure that they have all the resources available to give them the best chance at recovery."
A Night to Remember will take place at the Steps to Recovery facility in Levittown, PA, from 6:00 PM until 8:30 PM on August 25, 2022. The event is open to the public. The family-friendly in-person event will feature a DJ, food trucks, and a raffle with all proceeds benefiting Recovery Advocates of America. Sunwave Health will present the Ambassador for Recovery award, recognizing a local individual for contributions and ongoing efforts to lower overdose rates. And for more information on overdose rates and the impact on specific communities, visit the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
About Sunwave Health
Sunwave Health drives healthy results for behavioral health providers. We enable care quality, realize value, and improve resource optimization across the treatment journey. Every patient encounter encompasses multiple variables that can be hard to measure and manage without a holistic, end-to-end solution. Sunwave Health ensures visibility and transparency into admissions, drives predictability and insight into the patient census, accelerates payment, reduces reimbursement variability, and improves the clinician and patient experience across every treatment journey step. As a result, providers can better manage increased demand, improve clinical and non-clinical resource utilization, increase patient retention, and optimize reimbursement.
Sunwave Health's solutions provide the scalability and flexibility needed to support multiple facility types and reimbursement models. Operational and clinical intelligence—powered by the underlying comprehensive, consolidated data approach—simplifies reporting and planning. Compliance and accreditation are accelerated, and providers are prepared for future value-based requirements. Sunwave Health protects the health of your practice and facility so that you can focus on the health of your patients. Sunwave Health—driving beneficial results.http://www.sunwavehealth.comhttp://www.sunwavehealth.com.
About CIVIQ
At CIVIQ Health, our mission is to enhance the well-being of individuals and families impacted by Addiction and Mental Health Disorders. We provide comprehensive, collaborative, and personalized behavioral health care. Our network of therapeutic resources makes Addiction and Mental Health Treatment both accessible and effective.
Media Contact
Andrea Schnorr, Scratch MM, on behalf of Sunwave Health, 1 847-525-7756, [email protected]
SOURCE Scratch MM, on behalf of Sunwave Health
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