By Anne Bakar, President & CEO

ɫ��ɫ’s new mission statement is moving us forward on many fronts: , , and . But it’s also intended to move us forward in the care of people with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use issues.

At ɫ��ɫ, we estimate that at least 75% of the people we serve have a serious mental illness and a co-occurring substance use issue.
 
At least 75%.
 
That means that at least 75% of our clients are trying to manage two very daunting recovery challenges. At least 75% are at risk of having their health compromised and their lives cut short. At least 75% may be facing shame, stigma, and punitive program rules that make it hard for them to be honest about their lives and get the help they need.
 
It’s unacceptable.
 
Our new mission statement reflects our focus not just on mental illness but on substance use as well.
 
We are focusing on bridging systems and closing gaps in care by training our staff about evidenced-based approaches to integrated care. This includes things like motivational interviewing and recognizing there are “stages of change” in substance use recovery: times when clients are ready to consider treatment for their addiction and times when they are not.
 
In addition to training staff about new tools and interventions, we are introducing Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) to our practice. This is a vital intervention that we are well suited to provide as a professional organization with a wholly owned led by Dr. Jeff Gould. Consistent with this direction, we recently completed a pilot program on how detox could be accomplished through outpatient telemedicine.
 
In this month’s newsletter, you will learn more about how we are moving this aspect of our mission forward. You can read about our three-year SUDS plan, meet our new SUDS Director, and get more detail about these new approaches.
 
We hope you enjoy this preview, and we look forward to sharing our learning and growth.