Amber Freeman sits down with Dr. Kathryn Newhousen from United Healthcare and Tiffany Cole Hall with Volunteers of America, talking about the especially hard-hitting crisis in the state of Kentucky, Opioid Abuse.
3 and crosby d speaker 1: we're talking health care inkentucky.
We're here with dr. fromunitedhealthcare, and tiffany cole hall with volunteers of america.
We'retalking an especially hard-hitting crisis in the state of kentucky, opioid abuse.thank you both so much for being here.
Kathryn n.: thank you.
Speaker 1: what do both of you feel ismost important for everyone to know about this opioid crisis?
Kathryn n.: unitedhealthcare is reallycommitted to partnering with community-based organizations and health careproviders to address the opioid crisis through a compretegy thatinvolves prevention, treatment, harm reduction.
One of the most importantthings to emphasize is that treatment works, specifically medication- assistedtreatment for opioid addiction, which is medication and counseling, and thatwith evidence- based treatment, people can and do recover.
Kathryn n.: we can prevent overdoses, wecan help people get their kids back, rejoin their families, get jobs, and be partof society again.
We're really committed to helping ensure people getevidence-based treatment and to partnering with wonderful organizations likevolunteers of america to help some of our most vulnerable people in society,pregnant women and parenting women, get housing, which is a key determinant tohelp people succeed in recovery.
Speaker 1: sure.
And tiffany, volunteersof america deals a lot with helping unitedhealthcare do this.
What does yourorganization do?
Tiffany c.: we provide all the care that'sjust been discussed.
Freedom house is the program that we have that helpspregnant and post- partum and parenting moms and their kiddos.
They can come gettreatment on-site, be there for up to six months.
They receive evidence- basedtreatment.
We have very positive outcomes.
We are about to have our 200th babyborn not exposed to illicit substances.
Tiffany c.: one gap that we had, andwe're so grateful for being able to partner with unitedhealthcare is long- termhousing, where we have a gap there that we can provide housing and stayinvolved with these families for up to three years, to up to two years afterthey graduate, and improve the outcomes long-term for these families.
Speaker 1: sure.
And this may seemfamiliar to a lot of our viewers out there.
Everyone knows someone who'sdealing with something maybe like this.
Are you open to anyone and everyone?
Tiffany c.: absolutely.
We can help.
Wehave an intake line that is answered 24 hours a day, 635-4530.
That callwill be screened and will be explained to what all resources we have, becausewe serve men too.
We have other programs. speaker 1: sure.
All that involved.
Andobviously the opioid crisis is so intensive in conversation that we can't dealwith it all right here today.
If anyone were to have any other questions orwant any more information, what's the best way to get that?
Kathryn n.: you can visituhccommunitypla n.com to learn more about united and our programs. tiffany c.: and to learn more aboutvolunteers of america midstates, you can go to voamid.org, and then again, theintake line for anyone that needs help is 635-4530.
Speaker 1: and i'm sure all of thatinformation is on our website, wtvq.com.
We appreciate both of you for beinghere and for what you're doing for the state of kentucky.
Thank you.
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Amber talks to professionals about the toll opioid abuse has on infants