Healthy Connections
Huntington’ s Community
Partners Collaborate to Treat Addiction
LEAH CLARK PAYNE
Healthy. It’ s perhaps one of the last words that comes to mind when you hear the phrase opioid addiction. Obviously, an addiction is not healthy. However, the addiction recovery process is a step closer to a better, more fulfilling and healthy life.
Healthy Connections was created in the midst of the opioid crisis in the Huntington, WV, region. Led by Bob Hansen, director of addiction services for Marshall Health and the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and a long-time leader in behavioral health, the group is a consortium of some two-dozen community and public partners working collaboratively to address the addiction crisis in the region and across the state of West Virginia.
Healthy Connections was born from a grassroots initiative. Based on input from mothers in Marshall Health’ s Maternal Addiction Recovery Center and because of keen interest by many at the school of medicine, a small group of professionals began meeting and discussing what more could be done to meet the complex needs of mothers in recovery, their babies and, ultimately, the entire family unit. Within weeks, Healthy Connections was formed. The participants believe success lies in the approach that has been developed and, more importantly, that true collaboration among agencies can only lead to success.
“ Services have always been available in our community through many agencies and programs,” says Hansen.“ However, for a mother or a family in crisis, accessing the maze of available services is very challenging. Our goal is to provide an easier path for those families to get the help they need, as well as develop new services directly tied to the needs associated with addiction.”
One of those new services is River Valley CARES, a resurrected child development center aimed at helping children and their families affected by the opioid crisis. The center is currently funded by a grant from the City of Huntington. Hansen says additional funding is being sought through a variety of sources, including federal programs and private foundations.
“ We have applied for several grants and are waiting to hear which ones will be funded,” says Hansen.“ Across the university, there is tremendous synergy among programs and departments to tackle this epidemic. The amount of enthusiasm and willingness to work on solutions has been eye-opening.”
The Healthy Connections program is just one outreach initiative in Marshall University’ s response to the state’ s most pressing public health issue. In 2016, then newly inaugurated university president Dr. Jerome Gilbert put in place a university-wide coalition, naming a trio of leaders from across various disciplines. Student Health Programs Director Amy Saunders; Dr. Kevin Yingling, retired dean of the school of pharmacy and an associate professor with the school of medicine; and Jim Johnson, a veteran of the Huntington police force who is now the state’ s first director of the newly formed Office of Drug Control Policy, are leading the charge to address the diverse facets of addiction and its grip on the region.
“ This public health crisis affects all of us in one way or another, irrespective of age, gender, race, economic status or zip code,” says Yingling.“ Therefore, making a difference demands a vista of services and interventions. These services and interventions must reach or engage all those directly affected and provide for community-based entry into impactful programs that change lives. Our university, health care system and community partnerships unify the resources required to start up these transformative programs.”
According to Yingling, the city, county, region and health care system understand the severity of this epidemic, and many folks have moved swiftly to establish effective programs, exampled by Healthy Connections.
“ Hope for a different future is provided by this unified approach that will reach so many communities damaged by this crisis,” he says. •
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