New York, NY, Oct. 31, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Addiction Policy Forum, a leading addiction nonprofit, has expanded its Addiction Resource Center (ARC) to include a database of treatment resources, facilities, and healthcare providers specific to New York.
“The Addiction Resource Center is launching in New York to help people with substance use disorders and their families. We hope these added resources will connect those struggling with addiction and the treatment they need,” says Jessica Hulsey Nickel, Addiction Policy Forum Founder.
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 an action plan and providing a database of local treatment providers. The ARC also includes a telehealth service staffed by addiction counselors and licensed social workers that provide callers with substance use disorder information, education on treatment options, and telehealth support. New York residents can call the line at 1-833-301-HELP (4357), Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM EST.
“Since losing my twin brother and best friend, Larry, to substance use disorder, I have been driven to change the shame and stigma surrounding addiction and ending the opioid crisis,” says APF’s New York state chair, Lorraine McNeill Popper. “New Yorkers can now search the ARC database -- that has been researched and vetted -- of healthcare providers and treatment facilities by county to access the help they need at the moment they need it.”
Addiction Policy Forum, which has chapters in 45 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.