National Recovery Month Reminds Us Recovery is Possible For Everyone |
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September is National Recovery Month, an annual observance celebrating the gains made by those recovering from substance use and reinforcing the message that recovery is possible. Because substance use is a heavily stigmatized and often taboo topic, National Recovery Month aims to educate Americans about the intersection of addiction with behavioral health and share success stories of loved ones overcoming the resulting challenges. Personal recovery testimonials increase awareness and understanding about mental health and substance use, as well as empower those struggling to seek support.
The 2021 National Recovery Month theme, “Recovery is For Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community,” reminds people in recovery and their support systems that no one is in this journey alone. According to the Association for Addiction Professionals, this year’s observance promotes and supports evidence-based treatment and practices, the importance of a strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members.
Peer support is a pillar of addiction recovery, especially within groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, their family-centered counterparts AlAnon and NarAnon, and faith-based groups like Celebrate Recovery. Peer recovery specialist Tamara Lane and NarAnon Midwest region delegate Theresa Cleaves are just two of many community members using their personal experience with addiction to help others navigate their own recovery journey.
Lane is a peer recovery specialist at the Health Care Collaborative (HCC) of Rural Missouri. After developing and enduring an addiction to methamphetamines for nearly nine years, she will be celebrating five years of sobriety this November. Finding support in the peer group Celebrate Recovery, she became determined to serve her community in a larger way. When HCC added two counseling positions to their behavioral health team, fellow peer recovery specialist Will Jordan accepted first and immediately recommended Lane join him. Together, they provide education, resources, and support to rural Missouri residents navigating substance use and recovery every step of the way.
Listen to Tamara Lane discuss her recovery and peer counseling role in the latest HCC podcast. Also, listen to Theresa Cleaves discuss her experience navigating addiction as a mother for the accessHealth podcast: part one.
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Alcohol Worsens Impact of HIV, Substance Use Screening is First Line
of Defense
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“The Intersection of Substance Use, HIV, and HCV: What Providers Need to Know” is the first webinar in a three-part series hosted by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Quality Improvement. Presenter Andrew Kurtz, LMFT, is a clinical specialist with UCLA’s integrated substance abuse programs. During the presentation, Kurtz explored behavioral and health factors, such as prolonged alcohol consumption and its comorbidities, that can worsen the impact of HIV.
“How do we think about treatment from a behavioral standpoint?” he asked. “We know these conditions respond really well to specific behavioral interventions, like motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral interventions. That counseling component that can be delivered in different formats and in different settings really helps to enhance and improve the outcomes that we see across these different health conditions.”
The presentation focused not on the treatment for these conditions, but on screening and engagement recommendations to help providers effectively communicate with patients. Excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor due to its physical and behavioral complications. Citing data from multiple studies, Kurtz urged providers to consider patients’ drinking habits as it relates to overall health, especially for individuals who are at risk of contracting or are currently diagnosed with HIV.
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Join Us as We Advocate for Tomorrow's Health Care today. |
By partnering with the Health Care Collaborative of Rural Missouri, you are networking with a health care organization. Depending on the type of membership you choose, you will gain access to an array of benefits. |
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White House Strengthens Position Against Pandemic |
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President Joe Biden agrees. On Sept. 9, he announced an executive order requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for federal employees. The press release underscores the recent FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (also known as Comirnaty), and the authorization of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for emergency use.
“I have determined that ensuring the health and safety of the Federal workforce and the efficiency of the civil service requires immediate action to protect the Federal workforce and individuals interacting with the Federal workforce,” Biden stated in the press release.
“It is essential that Federal employees take all available steps to protect themselves and avoid spreading COVID-19 to their co-workers and members of the public. The CDC has found that the best way to do so is to be vaccinated.”
The order is one step among many of President Biden’s Path out of the Pandemic. The plan features a six-pronged, science-backed approach to saving lives while protecting schools, businesses, and the economy. The plan’s six areas of focus are:
- Vaccinating the unvaccinated.
- Further protecting the vaccinated.
- Keeping schools safely open.
- Increasing testing and requiring masking.
- Protecting our economic recovery.
- Improving care for those with COVID-19.
The vaccine requirement for federal employees is the first priority under vaccinating the unvaccinated, soon to be followed by a rule currently under development by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The rule will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated. Any workers who remain unvaccinated will be required to produce a negative test result on a weekly basis before coming to work.
OSHA will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to implement this requirement. This requirement will impact more than 80 million workers in private sector businesses with 100+ employees.
While debates about vaccines are muddled with misinformation, the White House has made their position clear: We have the science to save lives and it’s our responsibility — as a united nation — to do so as the Delta variant continues to surge.
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Medicaid Expansion in Missouri:
What You Need to Know
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Who is eligible?
- Senior (age 65 and older)
- Parent or caretaker with a child (under age 19)
- Child (age birth -18)
- Woman (age 18-55) with no health insurance
- Adult (age 19-64) without disabilities
- Pregnant woman (including an unborn child)
- Woman (under age 65) with breast or cervical cancer
- Person with disabilities
- Blind or visually impaired adult
How to determine eligibility? Contact Community Health Worker Shelly Harden at 660.214.2869.
- Are age 65 or older
- Are blind or disabled
- Get Social Security
- Live in a medical or nursing facility
- Have Medicare or VA healthcare
Send your paper application and forms by email, mail, or fax to:
When will I get coverage?
The Family Support Division will process your application and any supporting documentation as soon as they receive it. *This can take up to 10 business days.
Once your application is processed, you will get a letter that lets you know if you are eligible for healthcare coverage or not. If you are approved, you will receive a MO HealthNet Identification Card and information explaining the type of services and coverage you have. You will need to follow the instructions in this letter for your coverage to begin.
*NOTE: If you are applying for the new adult expansion coverage, applications will not be processed until after October 1, 2021.
For questions about Missouri Medicaid expansion, or to determine eligibility and get help enrolling, contact Community Health Worker Shelly Harden at 660.214.2869.
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To Boost Vaccination Rates, a Key Funder Channels Millions to Community Groups |
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The Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund is one of more than 150 community-based organizations to receive funding from the CDC Foundation. The foundation awarded grants totaling $30 million to organizations in communities that were hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. To combat health care access barriers in rural Missouri, such as transportation and insurance, the farmworkers assistance fund brings healthcare workers to the farms to administer COVID-19 vaccines.
"Ninety-nine percent (of the people we work with) are uninsured," said Suzanne Gladney, director of the Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund. And because migratory farmworkers move from harvest to harvest, both within Missouri and to other states, such as Texas or Florida, many find it difficult to set up insurance coverage or establish connections with primary care physicians. "Some of the children may have Medicaid in some states, but often, that Medicaid won't work with providers here in this state."
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On November 18th, 2021, we are proud to support National Rural Health Day. We hope that you will join us in recognizing and honoring those who work every day to keep our community healthy. |
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2021 MRHA Get Link'd Conference Article Series |
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The Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA) Get Link'd 2021 Conference, held virtually Aug. 17-19, was a crash course in innovations improving access barriers to quality health care in rural communities. This post conference series takes a deeper look at some of the issues discussed.
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Rural Pharmacist Shares Relentless Pursuit to Give Covid Shot |
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Dementia Caregiving is Like Learning a New Language |
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Mobility Management Aims to Create Equitable Transportation |
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Lead Exposure and Poisoning Pose Health Risks for Children's Cognitive Development |
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Safer Homes Collaborative Encourages Awareness in Suicide Prevention |
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