For more information, contact Community Relations at:
03/22/2018
To help individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) connect to treatment and other recovery support services, Wentworth -Douglass Hospital is partnering with SOS Recovery Community Organization (SOS RCO) to launch an initiative that pairs people at the hospital with substance use disorders with on-call recovery coaches.
This non-clinical program is designed to provide immediate peer-to-peer crisis response coaching to assist individuals in navigating through a crisis and barriers, as well as to assist them in developing linkage to strong SUD treatment and mental health supports and peer recovery based activities.
“Our approach is to meet individuals where they are at and provide navigation of systems that they are willing and interested in pursuing. Our long term goal is to connect individuals to Peer Recovery Support Services outside the hospital for future ongoing coaching and wellness plans,” says John Burns, Director at SOS RCO.
“Wentworth-Douglass Hospital strives to collaborate with community organizations who share our mission of partnering with individuals to attain their highest level of health,” said Kellie Mueller, Director of Behavioral Health for Wentworth-Douglass. “We know the magnitude of substance use disorders in our community, state, and nation is large. It will take the work of an entire community to address it. SOS Recovery saw a need and stepped up to meet it.”
Upon receiving a call from the hospital via a designated SOS RCO hotline, a recovery coach will be dispatched to the hospital within 60 minutes. Recovery Coaches can play a key role in supporting and advocating for individuals with substance use disorders.
During this first phase of the program SOS RCO recovery coach services will be available from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The goal is to eventually offer Recovery Support Services for the hospital 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
“We are grateful to have the support of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital which helps us to continue to provide a combination of resources, programming, information, and social supports designed to be responsive to a range of needs for those looking to find recovery, as well as those in early or long term sustained recovery, says Burns. “While the consequences of substance misuse can be devastating, many people can and do recover; and it is happening here in our community.”
This effort was funded by donations to the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation.
Visit SOS Recovery Community Organization for more information or call (603) 841-2350.
For more information about Wentworth-Douglass Behavioral Health Services, call Kellie Mueller, MEd, at (603) 740-2827.