Behavioral Health NV Announces New Opioid Awareness Campaign

RENO, Nev., August 13, 2020 (Newswire.com) - ​​​No one ever thinks they will become addicted to opioids. But now, Nevadans can think about getting help and know that they are not alone in doing so. Behavioral Health NV, an online service that connects Nevadans to treatment resources, announces a new campaign for Nevadans struggling with opioid abuse. The campaign, I Never Thought, promotes messages of hope for people struggling with opioid addiction and directs them to addiction recovery treatment providers around the state, national addiction resources, and specialized resources for veterans, expectant mothers, and families helping loved ones overcome addiction.

Opioid and prescription drug abuse have become America’s fastest-growing drug problem. In 2017, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared a public health emergency to combat the opioid crisis. In 2018, an estimated 10.3 million people used opioids, and more than 130 people died each day from opioid-related overdoses, according to the HHS.

Nevada is not immune to this crisis. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Nevada providers write more opioid prescriptions each year than the national average. In 2018, 372 drug overdose deaths involved opioids and Nevada also has nearly double the national average of new HIV diagnoses attributed to injection drug use.

“Addiction is not the person,” said Dr. Stephanie Woodward, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Senior Advisor on Behavioral Health. “It is the disease that’s impacting the person. We want to make sure that when an individual is in need, we have a way that we can support and help them.”

The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health’s new opioid awareness campaign shares real stories from health professionals within the industry like Dr. Woodward as well as people who are in active recovery. The campaign connects website visitors with more than 150 mental health and substance use disorder treatment centers throughout the state as well as the Division of Public and Behavioral Health’s Suicide Prevention program and the nationally based There is No Hero in Heroin Foundation. The site also has resources for loved ones, including the Nevada Statewide Coalition Partnership and the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. For expectant mothers, the site connects users to Dignity Health Community Programs in Las Vegas and the DPBH Women’s Substance Use Prevention program. The website directs veterans to VA treatment options and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) resources. It also directs users to Nevada 2-1-1, a site committed to helping Nevadans connect with the services they need.

“This new campaign will provide extended resources for Nevadans struggling with opioid addiction and reassure them that they are not alone,” said Kim Riggs, DPBH Health Program Specialist. “We wanted to ensure that we provide enough resources so that anyone seeking help understands that they can find the support they need.”

To learn more about Behavioral Health NV, or find resources for yourself or a loved one, visit behavioralhealthnv.org/get-help.

About Behavioral Health NV

Behavioral Health NV is part of the State of Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Behavioral Health NV is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration State Opioid Response grant number SOR: 6H79T1081732-01M003 and managed by the University of Nevada Reno Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (UNR CASAT) under the advice of the Nevada State Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors. For more information about Behavioral Health NV, visit behavioralhealthnv.org.

Source: Behavioral Health NV