Altus, Oklahoma, Sept. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today Addiction Policy Forum a leading addiction nonprofit, has expanded its Addiction Resource Center (ARC) to include treatment resources, facilities and health care providers specific to Oklahoma.
“CDC’s newly released data estimates that 72,000 Americans died in 2017 from an overdose,” says Jessica Hulsey Nickel CEO and president of Addiction Policy Forum. “We are losing sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and loved ones to this disease. Expanding the Addiction Resource Center database to Oklahoma will help impacted families and patients find local resources.
The ARC includes a comprehensive, interactive website to help individuals and families struggling with addiction learn about substance use disorders and access critical resources. This platform dispels harmful myths about addiction by presenting the science behind the disease in easy-to-read formats, guiding concerned individuals through a self-assessment tool, helping to develop a proposed action plan and providing a database of local treatment providers. The ARC also includes a resource line staffed by addiction counselors, licensed social workers, and peer recovery support advocates that provide callers with substance use disorder information, education on treatment options, and support. Oklahoma residents can call the line at 1-833-301-HELP (4357), Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM EST.
“With over a 13 percent increase from overdose deaths between 2015 to 2016, tools like the Addiction Resource Center database that are easy to use and allow people to find addiction treatment by county are necessary. I’m excited the ARC database expanded to Oklahoma to help residents find local resources to help their loved ones,” says Melinda Fixico Addiction Policy Forum Oklahoma state chair.
Addiction Policy Forum, which has chapters in 36 states and a national office in Washington, D.C., plans to continue adding state-specific resources to its database throughout 2018. In addition to addressing addiction through community resources, APF is committed to affecting policy change at the local, state and national levels and raising awareness of the nationwide addiction crisis.
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About Addiction Policy Forum
Addiction Policy Forum is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 2015 as a diverse partnership of organizations, policymakers, and stakeholders committed to working together to elevate awareness around addiction, and to improve programs and policy through a comprehensive response that includes prevention, treatment, recovery, and criminal justice reform. Jessica Hulsey Nickel, whose own family was devastated by addiction, is the founder of a coalition of 1,700 families impacted by substance use disorders and is available for further explanation and interviews by media.
More information on our mission and projects is available at http://addictionpolicy.org.