Alcoholism Awareness Month: The Prevalent Dangers of Alcohol Misuse
Though alcohol consumption is considered more socially acceptable than the use of narcotics like cocaine or heroin, drinking is far from harmless. Alcohol can pose detrimental health and safety risks. According to the CDC, excessive drinking is the cause for more than 140,000 deaths each year in the United States. In acknowledgement of April being ...
Spectrum Health Systems Grants $137,000 to Thirteen Local Massachusetts Organizations
Spectrum Health Systems, Inc., a not-for-profit organization providing a comprehensive continuum of addiction treatment and behavioral health services throughout Massachusetts, announced today it has issued $137,000 in grants to local organizations that work to support those in recovery. Spectrum established its Community Impact Committee in 2022, comprised of nine members, to provide financial relief to ...
Get to Know Kristin Nolan, Chief Behavioral Health Officer
Having started as a clinician in 2000, Kristin Nolan has deep roots with Spectrum Health Systems. Early on, she found the clinical work rewarding, but over time she began to feel like she could have a broader impact in the addiction treatment field by focusing her efforts on the operations side of things. Now serving ...
The Shifting Landscape of Telehealth Addiction Treatment
As the United States government searches for leverage in the battle against the opioid epidemic, several recent developments have altered the way medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), such as buprenorphine, can be prescribed. While some of these changes have increased accessibility to buprenorphine, others threaten to hinder access. With opioid overdoses continuing at a ...
Improving Outcomes for Pregnant People with Substance Use Disorders
When someone with a substance use disorder becomes pregnant, their circumstances can become complicated. They may be faced with decisions that they hadn’t anticipated, and the road ahead could be lined with physical and emotional challenges. But as with any other population, pregnant people have a right to recovery. And, despite the stigma and added ...
Spectrum Health Systems Debuts Mobile Treatment Service Van
Spectrum Health Systems, Inc., a longtime not-for-profit organization providing a comprehensive continuum of addiction treatment throughout Massachusetts, today announced the launch of its mobile treatment service, the first in the state to offer all three medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) – methadone, suboxone and vivitrol. “While several barriers to treatment access remain for those ...
Acknowledging Health Equity Pioneers
In observance of Black History Month, Spectrum Health Systems is honoring some of the people who have improved access to care and worked to address treatment disparities affecting the Black community. Just as the Black community has faced economic and educational injustices, it has also faced healthcare inequalities. In the time of Jim Crow segregation, ...
Nicole Orlando Smith Discusses Her Return to Spectrum
Nicole Orlando Smith applied for a role at Spectrum Health Systems on a whim in 2014. She had comprehensive experience working in mental health—addressing issues like depression and anxiety after earning a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling with a focus on trauma—but she had no direct experience in addiction recovery. “I was very green, ...
Spectrum Health Systems Announces Changes to 2023 Board of Directors
Spectrum Health Systems, Inc., a longtime not-for-profit organization providing a comprehensive continuum of addiction treatment throughout Massachusetts, announced today the appointment of Thomas Turco, former secretary to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, to its board of directors, and Cheryl Gallant, vice president of Human Resources at Coghlin Companies, Inc., as board ...
The White House Hopes to Curb Overdoses by Unveiling New Dashboard
Last month, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy unveiled a new data dashboard in partnership with the National Highway Safety Administration to track non-fatal opioid overdoses. The dashboard uses a map to display Emergency Medical Services (EMS) data collected in each state and U.S. territory. The effort is aligned with President Biden’s ...
