Close the Gap RI

Providence Journal: “Candidates for R.I. governor discuss homelessness, mental illness”

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:37:14 +0000

“Candidates for R.I. governor discuss homelessness, mental illness” (The Providence Journal, 7/29/2010)

The Providence Journal: Sensitivity to mental illness was the hallmark of retiring Judge Stephen Erickson

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:18:19 +0000

“Sensitivity to mental illness was the hallmark of retiring Judge Stephen Erickson” (The Providence Journal, 7/25/2010)

Josiah D. Rich, MD: Punishment and discipline

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:07:53 +0000

“Josiah D. Rich, MD: Punishment and discipline” (The Providence Journal, 7/24/2010)

Celebrity rehab

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:40:52 +0000

We’ve all heard the news. Lindsay Lohan, a famous Hollywood actress and the target of media scrutiny, reported to jail this week to serve her 9o-day sentence for probation violations on two DUI cases. At the age of 21, Lohan has suffered with substance use disorders throughout the past several years, largely in front of the country, in the public spotlight. And she’s not the only celebrity that the public has watched live through this - the list is lengthy, including Drew Barrymore, Whitney Houston, Keith Urban, Courtney Love, Kate Moss, Amy Winehouse (who sang a hit song, “Rehab,” about her experience), and most recently, Mel Gibson. The new apparent rehab “trend” has also led to the production of several television shows, including “Celebrity Rehab.”

Does this new celebrity “trend” and behavior impact the stigmas associated with addiction? I hate to think that seeing this would influence younger audiences to follow the behavior of their idols, but it is possible. On the contrary, however, the recent publicity around those suffering from untreated addictions also brings the topic into the mainstream, public dialogue, which, in many cases, is great for the cause. By forcing the public to see and acknowledge the reality and pervasiveness of substance use disorders, we are helping to change public perception. By advocating for those with untreated addictions, those in treatment, and those in recovery, we can further help to influence public perception that addiction is a disease.

While shows like “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” chronicle the lives of celebrities who enter treatment, other recent shows, such as A&E’s “Intervention,” which showcases “normal” folks’ lives as their loved ones, with the help of trained specialists, hold an intervention in order to encourage them to seek treatment, have also received significant air time and public interest. This can only serve to make addiction and substance use disorders the subject of public discussion and consumption, and will hopefully help tear down some of the century-long stigma associated with this disease.

Photos from the Healthy Mind Body Spirit Festival

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:44:21 +0000

Click here to view photos from the Healthy Mind Body Spirit Festival on June 25, 2010.

Newsweek: “The Case for Treating Drug Addicts in Prison”

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:34:54 +0000

“The Case for Treating Drug Addicts in Prison” (Newsweek, 6/29/2010)

Providence Journal Editorial: Spotlight on addiction

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:47:42 +0000

One result of criminalizing the drug problem is that U.S. prisons are crowded with addicts, not just dealers. Likewise, hospital emergency rooms are constantly called upon to aid substance abusers. In 2008, says Dr. Brian J. Zink, just 46 patients accounted for more than 1,700 visits to Rhode Island Hospital’s emergency room. In every case, alcohol or drug abuse was the cause. Jail or the E.R. are a wasteful, largely ineffective approach to managing addiction.

In particular, the paradigm for handling drug abuse drastically needs revising. But decriminalizing it will not do much good if treatment options are not widely available. Unfortunately, like many states, Rhode Island has too little to offer. A 2007 federal survey of 107,000 Rhode Islanders struggling with addiction found that just 12 percent received treatment. Imagine if any other disease — diabetes or cancer, for instance — was met with such an anemic response…

Read the full Editorial

The Providence Journal: “Mental-health advocates seek to close addiction treatment gap”

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:25:14 +0000

PROVIDENCE — One statistic was repeated by almost every speaker at an announcement Tuesday: Of the 107,000 Rhode Islanders who suffer from a complicated illness, only 12 percent — one in eight — get treatment.

The disease is addiction. The statistic comes from a 2007 survey by the federal government.

Read full article

WPRO 630 AM: Study aims to provide better treatment for drug and alcohol addiction

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 21:18:40 +0000

Leaders unveil a new report suggesting immediate improvements and cost savings across Rhode Island’s addiction and treatment recovery system.

Read the full story

Listen to the report

Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap Coalition to welcome Join Together Director, Dr. David Rosenbloom, release report and policy recommendations to improve the State’s substance use treatment system

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:00:06 +0000

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Rhode Island Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap (CATG) Coalition, a collaboration of nearly forty diverse stakeholder groups, will welcome Join Together Director, Dr. David Rosenbloom, for the release of a new report and policy recommendations aimed at ushering in immediate improvements and cost savings across the State’s addiction treatment and recovery system.

“The CATG Coalition’s work and recommendations are well-aligned with the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s recently-released 2010 Drug Control Strategy,” said David Rosenbloom, PhD, Director of Join Together. “Similar to the CATG Coalition’s recommendations, the new strategy has an increased focus on demand reduction initiatives through expanded access to addiction treatment and prevention services in the public, private, and criminal justice settings.”

Read the full Press Release