The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has entered a partnership with CHESS Health and Trillium Health Resources to enhance support for North Carolinians working toward recovery from substance use disorders.
As part of the new partnership, CHESS Health will expand access to its eRecovery program, with the goal of helping thousands of North Carolinians struggling with substance use disorders to achieve long-term recovery.
A cornerstone of CHESS Health’s eRecovery program is the Connections app, a smartphone app that provides participants with immediate access to a team of certified peer recovery specialists available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. According to NCDHHS, the app offers moderated peer support groups, on-demand digital cognitive behavioral therapy programs, and a robust set of recovery tools.
This solution is offered free of charge for North Carolinians who choose to enroll through their provider and download the app, funded fully by NCDHHS.
“We know there is no one-size-fits-all model to recovery,” said Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, director of the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services. “We are pleased to provide North Carolinians with an additional, evidence-based tool to support their recovery, when and where they need them.”
NCDHHS did note that the app is not a substitute for clinical treatment, but rather an additional tool that can help people connect with other peers and receive additional recovery support.
In terms of the rollout, the CHESS Health eRecovery program will be introduced in phases to more than 100 organizations across North Carolina over the next two years. Organizations offering this solution will include substance use disorders and mental health providers, hospital-based substance use disorders programs, collegiate recovery programs, harm reduction programs, crisis hotlines, mobile response teams, drug courts, re-entry programs, recovery residences, certified community behavioral health clinics, and local management entities.
“Our solution offers individuals a continuous ‘connectedness’ that has been shown to reduce feelings of isolation while providing a comfortable space for sharing feelings and celebrating milestones and achievements,” said Hans Morefield, CEO of CHESS Health. “Our Connections app helps individuals to manage risk moments – triggers, cravings, anxiety and negative thinking – that occur between visits, so they stay in treatment longer and realize a better, long-term quality of life.”
