Homer, Alaska, Sept. 26, 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 Alaska.
“According to the CDC’s 2017 preliminary data, 126 Alaska residents died from a drug overdose,” says Jessica Hulsey Nickel, president and CEO of the Addiction Policy Forum. “Addiction is a preventable and treatable disease, by expanding our Addiction Resource Center database to Alaska we hope less lives will be lost to addiction.”
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. Alaska residents can call the line at 1-833-301-HELP (4357), Monday through Friday from 5AM to 1PM AKDT.
“We need to ensure Alaska residents struggling with or concerned about substance use disorder can find local resources,” says Danielle Tarino, Addiction Policy Forum Vice President of Health Information Technology. “The expansion of the Addiction Resource Center database to Alaska will help save the lives of residents by providing local resources for those impacted.”
Addiction Policy Forum, which has chapters in 37 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.