Does VA pay for substance abuse treatment?
Fortunately, VA insurance includes treatment for substance abuse, mental health, and other co-occurring disorders. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), substance abuse and mental health treatment coverage is required in all long-term health insurance plans.Mar 10, 2022
Does the VA pay for inpatient rehab?
Veterans can receive inpatient rehab through the expanded Community Care Network (CCN) program. CCN helps deliver timely, affordable care that is closer to home when the VA cannot provide the level of care needed. Check with your VA healthcare provider and see what inpatient rehabs are near you.Jun 15, 2021
What is the VA Star program?
“In the STAR program, we help Veterans who have substance use issues and other underlying issues. We have a well-rounded team to help them with any mental health issues they may be having. It's basically a one-stop shop.” Within the STAR program, Jarmon's main job is to model recovery for other Veterans.Jul 2, 2019
How can the government help opioid crisis?
Educational initiatives delivered in school and community settings (primary prevention) Supporting consistent use of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) Implementation of overdose education and naloxone distribution programs to issue naloxone directly to opioid users and potential bystanders.May 1, 2015
Does VA prescribe Suboxone?
208 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities offer methadone, Suboxone, or naltrexone for acute treatment and long-term maintenance.Sep 9, 2021
Is alcoholism a disability under VA?
By definition, an alcohol-abuse disability is involuntary if it arises as a direct result of a psychiatric condition. Therefore, the veteran may receive VA disability compensation for the alcohol-abuse disability that arose as a direct result of PTSD.
What are the 5 strategies for combating the opioid crisis?
HHS highlights five key strategies to combat the opioid crisis: 1) better addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services, 2) better data, 3) better pain management, 4) better targeting of overdose reversing drugs, and 5) better research.
What are solutions to the opioid epidemic?
Opioid reversal drugs such as naloxone can save lives by reversing the effects of opioid overdose. The drugs can be administered by police officers, EMTs, and others in the community.Jul 17, 2019
Is OxyContin still prescribed?
OxyContin, a trade name for the narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, is a painkiller available in the United States only by prescription. OxyContin is legitimately prescribed for relief of moderate to severe pain resulting from injuries, bursitis, neuralgia, arthritis, and cancer.
OPIOID SAFETY INITIATIVE: Update and current status
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced significant progress in addressing the use of opioids for chronic pain. The VA emphasizes the safe and responsible use of prescription opioids in the context of a broader transition from a biomedical to a biopsychosocial model of pain care. Learn more about the VA Opioid News Release .
ANNOUNCEMENT
Dont miss the newly updated patient information guide, " Safe and Responsible Use of Opioids for Chronic Pain - A Patient Education Guide " (PDF). This guide has the most updated information on opioid safety and alternatives to opioid therapy. It replaces: “Taking Opioids Responsibly for Your Safety and the Safety of Others.”
Opioid Safety Overview
The prescription opioid epidemic has required the VA to find better ways to manage pain in veterans while limiting the risks of opioids.
Collaborative Opioid Tapering
Guidelines are very clear about when patients should be tapered or weaned but are much less helpful with suggestions about how this will occur. This video was produced by the VA and DoD to make this process a little easier for providers and a lot more helpful for patients.
Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) & Toolkit
The VHA recognizes the clinical challenges to successfully managing pain and prescribing safely for our Veterans while implementing the Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) Directive and the Informed Consent Directive . Get more information about Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) & Toolkit.
Effect of Opioid vs Nonopioid Medications on Pain-Related Function in Patients
A recent VA study comparing opioid and non-opioid therapy for pain demonstrated that opioids were not superior to non-opioid approaches in terms of efficacy but were associated with significant side effects. This is important information for clinicians to help with decisions related to pain care.
National Library of Medicine (NLM) - Opioid Addiction and Treatment Portal
NLM has released a new web portal on opioid addiction and treatment. It is available at: www.sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/addiction.html *
What happens if you overdose on opiates?
If someone is a heavy opiates user, signs of an overdose may be difficult to distinguish from their regular behavior. However, certain behaviors, including someone being unconscious and/or unresponsive, being unable to speak, experiencing difficulty breathing, or having a pale or clammy face, should warrant immediate medical attention.
Do veterans have opiate addiction?
With more than half of veterans who participated in conflicts in the Middle East reporting they experience chronic pain, it's no surprise that many are prescribed opiates to help them manage their pain -- but that can lead to opiate addiction.
Is it safe to take opiate overuse?
Opiates are dangerous when overused, but they can be helpful when they're carefully prescribed and used. When you know the signs of addiction, you can begin addressing the problem as soon as possible.
Can an opioid overdose be fatal?
But an opioid addiction can have similar effects and could even result in a fatal overdose. If you or your partner are suffering from an opiate addiction, you do not have to deal with it alone. Here are a few tips to help you get the assistance you need.
Is opiates dangerous for veterans?
The widespread use of opiates is creating dangerous consequences. Today, veterans are two times more likely than non-veterans to suffer a fatal overdose from opiates. For veterans and their partners, this news is extremely unsettling. Without medication to manage chronic pain, life can be greatly negatively impacted.
Can opiates cause PTSD?
Because so many veterans return with chronic pain, the Department of Veterans Affairs commonly prescribes opiates; however, opiates can exacerbate symptoms of PTSD. And veterans with PTSD are more likely to suffer negative consequences, including overdoses. If your loved one has PTSD, it may be necessary to avoid opiates ...
Why is there a standing order for naloxone?
In addition, a statewide standing order was issued for the opioid rescue medication, naloxone, in an effort to make it more widely available to the public and help lower the death rate from opioid overdose.
When was the DEA warning issued?
On September 22, 2016, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a public warning to the public and law enforcement nationwide about the health and safety risks of carfentanil.
Does naloxone help with opiate overdose?
What looks like an opiate overdose that doesn’t respond to naloxone, in an area where carfentanil has been reported, may still require a more aggressive treatment for an opiate overdose. As with all patients, good airway management is vital since death from opiate overdose is due to respiratory depression and hypoxia.
Is opioid addiction a public health emergency in Virginia?
On November 21, 2016, the State Health Commissioner, the Virginia Department of Health Professions and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services announced that the opioid addiction crisis is a public health emergency in Virginia.
Is carfentanil a DEA drug?
DEA, local law enforcement and first responders have recently seen the presence of carfentanil in Virginia, which has been linked to a significant number of overdose deaths in various parts of the country. Improper handling of carfentanil, as well as fentanyl and other fentanyl-related compounds, has deadly consequences.
What is OAT in recovery?
OAT allows the patient to focus more readily on recovery activities by preventing withdrawal and reducing cravings; helps achieve long-term goal of reducing opioid use and the associated negative medical, legal, and social consequences, including death from overdose.17,18 .
What is OUD in medical terms?
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a brain disease that can develop after repeated opioid use.1 Just like other diseases (e.g. hypertension, diabetes), OUD typically requires chronic management. See Table 2 for OUD DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.
Is opioid use disorder stigmatized?
Substance use disorders are more highly stigmatized than other health conditions and are often treated as a moral and criminal issue, rather than a health concern.2. OPIOID USE DISORDER (OUD) . Be in the know: Stop the stigma. Figure 1. Educate yourself on the facts3,4. Anyone can develop opioid use disorder.
Can opioids cause non responsive pain?
The patient could have opioid-non responsive pain, be suffering from opioid-induced hyperalgesia, have an untreated or undertreated psychiatric illness, or be suffering from addiction and is in need of opioid use disorder treatment. Higher analgesic doses may be necessary Divide OAT doses.
Is OUD a moral weakness?
OUD is a chronic disease, not a “moral weakness” or willful choice. OUD, like other diseases (e.g. hypertension), often requires chronic treatment.*. Patients with OUD can achieve full remission. Using opioid agonist treatment for OUD is NOT replacing one addiction for another.
How much did opioid use decrease in veterans?
Opioid use among Veterans engaged in Whole Health decreased 38%. That compares with an 11% decrease among those with no Whole Health use. Additionally, Veterans who used Whole Health services to manage their chronic pain used opioid medications three times less compared to those who did not. Veterans connected to Whole Health increased by 193%.
What are veterans doing to help with pain?
Veterans with chronic pain are replacing opioid pain medications with yoga, acupuncture and other Whole Health approaches to care. Skip to content.
How many veterans are connected to the whole health system?
Prior to the pilot study, 10.5% of Veterans with chronic pain were being connected to Whole Health services. By 2019, this figure increased by 193% with over 30.7% of Veterans with chronic pain connected to the Whole Health System across the 18 pilot flagship sites.
Why is self management important for veterans?
Self-management is critical to better health and well-being over time. Implementation of a Whole Health approach is complex and takes time. Yet, early findings suggest that when Veterans engage in Whole Health services, improvements in perceptions of care, engagement in care, and well-being are possible. Demand for Whole Health services is high .
How does improving veterans care affect veterans?
Improving Veterans’ experiences with care may in turn improve Veteran engagement and foster better self-management of chronic illnesses. Self-management is critical to better health and well-being over time.
What is a VAntage Point contributor?
— VAntage Point Contributors provide insight and perspective on a wide range of Veterans issues. If you’d like to contribute a story to VAntage Point, learn how you can submit a guest blog at http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/how-to-submit-a-guest-post/
How many people die from opioids a day?
The nationwide opioid epidemic continues to grow. Medical news site STATnews reports nearly 100 deaths per day from opioids, with a worst-case scenario reaching 250 per day. No state is immune from this epidemic, but the greatest increases of drug overdose deaths have been in states east of the Mississippi River.
When is the deadline for opioid overdose?
Program focus: Allow first responders to administer an approved drug for emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose. Deadline: July 31, 2019.
What is the best medication for an overdose EMS?
Although EMS approaches vary according to local needs, one common strategy is keeping the overdose-reversal drug naloxone on hand to administer in case of overdose. Many agencies rely on grants to purchase naloxone and related supplies.
When is the deadline for naloxone in Massachusetts?
Deadline: March 15, 2019. Massachusetts: First Responder Naloxone Grants. Eligible applicants: Town, city and county governments. Program focus: Support police and fire departments to carry/administer naloxone in communities that are most affected by the opioid epidemic. Deadline: April 15, 2019.
Know The Signs of Opiate Addiction
- Opiates are dangerous when overused, but they can be helpful when they're carefully prescribed and used. When you know thesigns of addiction, you can begin addressing the problem as soon as possible. As a spouse or partner, you're in a special position to note these signs as you spend so much time with your loved one. Keep an eye out for a mixture of physical as well as behavior…
Understand The Implications of A Dual Diagnosis
- If your spouse or partner has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, opiate use could be dangerous for them. Because so many veterans return with chronic pain, the Department of Veterans Affairs commonly prescribes opiates; however, opiates can exacerbate symptoms of PTSD. And veterans with PTSD are more likely to suffer negative consequences, includingoverd…
Recognize The Signs of An Overdose
- If an overdose has taken place, it's imperative that you seek medical help as soon as possible. If someone is a heavy opiates user, signs of an overdose may be difficult to distinguish from their regular behavior. However,certain behaviors, including someone being unconscious and/or unresponsive, being unable to speak, experiencing difficulty breathing, or having a pale or clam…
Know How to Get Military-Specific Help
- If you suspect your spouse or partner has an opiate addiction,substance abuse treatmentcan be obtained through the VA. Treatment facilities and programs are available that can address the specific needs of those with a military background. It's also important that you have an open dialogue with your loved one's medical providers. Make sure all dosages are necessary and ask …