Aetna Foundation grants $1M to opioid intervention coalition
CVS Health recently announced the Aetna Foundation's $1 million grant to the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition, which it said would help fuel the organization's new Law Enforcement Overdose Intervention Program.
The multi-year grant was formally announced by the Aetna Foundation and Coalition officials, Virginia secretary of health and human resources Daniel Carey, Virginia deputy secretary of public safety Jae Davenport, and others, at an event at the Winchester Medical Center in Winchester, Va.
In 2017, there were more than 70,000 American deaths from opioid overdoses reported, the largest number in a single year to date, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Virginia Department of Health declared the state's opioid epidemic a public health emergency in 2016. In Virginia, emergency department visits for heroin overdoses from January to September 2016 increased more than 85% compared to the same timeframe in 2015.
The funding the Aetna Foundation is providing will help the Coalition build a model that will allow law enforcement officials to serve as a community resource for overdose victims. Specifically, the Coalition will aim to connect non-fatal overdose victims to a support system before they are discharged from local Valley Health System hospitals. To build this support system, the Coalition will create multidisciplinary teams formed by key community stakeholders, including a law enforcement officer, case manager and counselor. The Coalition will also train a Peer Recovery Specialist, an individual in recovery who knows first-hand what it's like to suffer from addiction, to serve on the team and support non-fatal overdose victims.
"Over the last year, we have worked with local organizations that are making strides to help combat the opioid epidemic in their communities. From state government agencies to hospital associations, grassroots organizations and now local law enforcement, one thing that has been abundantly clear is that while there is no singular playbook for combatting the opioid crisis, we have to look at every player as a valuable asset in the fight," Aetna Foundation president Garth Graham said. "We hope our efforts in Virginia will help us build a model that other states can use to equip local law enforcement to play a key role in this fight."
"We know that we are facing a serious battle when it comes to fighting the opioid crisis that has already impacted too many families in our state," executive director for the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition Lauren Cummings said. "The support from CVS Health through the Aetna Foundation will help us build a model grounded in compassion that will help us save more lives in Virginia."
By working together through this cross-sectional partnership, the Coalition plans to take an effective and compassionate approach to treatment and recovery, while also cutting down on costs to the judicial system, preventing front-line burnout of first responders and reducing law enforcement and first responder costs.
"Virginia has made progress in combatting the overdose crisis over the last several years, but we know there is more work to be done," Carey said. "Tapping into one of our best resources, our men and women in local law enforcement, will move our efforts even closer to the frontline and will allow us to help save more lives moving forward."
CVS Health will announce funding by the Aetna Foundation to additional states in coming months, as part the Foundation's ongoing commitment to building healthier communities. These grants are in addition to the previously awarded $1 million grants by the Aetna Foundation that are already supporting organizations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida to address the opioid epidemic locally.
The multi-year grant was formally announced by the Aetna Foundation and Coalition officials, Virginia secretary of health and human resources Daniel Carey, Virginia deputy secretary of public safety Jae Davenport, and others, at an event at the Winchester Medical Center in Winchester, Va.
In 2017, there were more than 70,000 American deaths from opioid overdoses reported, the largest number in a single year to date, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Virginia Department of Health declared the state's opioid epidemic a public health emergency in 2016. In Virginia, emergency department visits for heroin overdoses from January to September 2016 increased more than 85% compared to the same timeframe in 2015.
The funding the Aetna Foundation is providing will help the Coalition build a model that will allow law enforcement officials to serve as a community resource for overdose victims. Specifically, the Coalition will aim to connect non-fatal overdose victims to a support system before they are discharged from local Valley Health System hospitals. To build this support system, the Coalition will create multidisciplinary teams formed by key community stakeholders, including a law enforcement officer, case manager and counselor. The Coalition will also train a Peer Recovery Specialist, an individual in recovery who knows first-hand what it's like to suffer from addiction, to serve on the team and support non-fatal overdose victims.
"Over the last year, we have worked with local organizations that are making strides to help combat the opioid epidemic in their communities. From state government agencies to hospital associations, grassroots organizations and now local law enforcement, one thing that has been abundantly clear is that while there is no singular playbook for combatting the opioid crisis, we have to look at every player as a valuable asset in the fight," Aetna Foundation president Garth Graham said. "We hope our efforts in Virginia will help us build a model that other states can use to equip local law enforcement to play a key role in this fight."
"We know that we are facing a serious battle when it comes to fighting the opioid crisis that has already impacted too many families in our state," executive director for the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition Lauren Cummings said. "The support from CVS Health through the Aetna Foundation will help us build a model grounded in compassion that will help us save more lives in Virginia."
By working together through this cross-sectional partnership, the Coalition plans to take an effective and compassionate approach to treatment and recovery, while also cutting down on costs to the judicial system, preventing front-line burnout of first responders and reducing law enforcement and first responder costs.
"Virginia has made progress in combatting the overdose crisis over the last several years, but we know there is more work to be done," Carey said. "Tapping into one of our best resources, our men and women in local law enforcement, will move our efforts even closer to the frontline and will allow us to help save more lives moving forward."
CVS Health will announce funding by the Aetna Foundation to additional states in coming months, as part the Foundation's ongoing commitment to building healthier communities. These grants are in addition to the previously awarded $1 million grants by the Aetna Foundation that are already supporting organizations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida to address the opioid epidemic locally.