Monday, July 26, 2010

Addictions Outreach Counseling Helps Save Lives

Bobbie Dillard from Brandywine Counseling, left, 
and Harold Rosen, M.D., chair of the Dept. of Psychiatry.
Our friends at Christiana Care published the following article about a unique collaboration between Wilmington Hospital and Brandywine's outreach department. It is reprinted here with permission.

More patients with substance abuse issues are receiving potentially life-saving treatment for addictions thanks to an innovative peer-to-peer counseling program.

An embedded, on-site outreach counselor at Wilmington Hospital is engaging patients with drug and alcohol problems at times when studies show intervention efforts most often find success.

Christiana Care launched the program Sept. 1, 2008 in partnership with Brandywine Counseling Inc. Since then the program has produced dramatic results that could ultimately reduce serious illnesses associated with addiction, such as pancreatitis, heart disease, kidney failure, cirrhosis and pneumonia.

More than a third enter treatment
As of June 10, 2010, 35 percent of the 313 individuals who received peer-to-peer counseling have participated in a licensed inpatient or outpatient treatment program, says Terry Horton, M.D., an internist on the faculty of the Department of Medicine.

“These numbers are exceedingly robust,” Dr. Horton says. “Before, the only option available to engage patients in community-based drug treatment was to hand them a phone number and a few, if any, would follow through.”

The program’s impressive success rate attracted the attention of Delaware Physicians Care, an Aetna Medicaid plan. In tracking 18 patients who received peer-to-peer counseling, the group found that individuals were taking better care of their health and relying less on emergency care.

Hospital admissions declined by a third and there were 38 percent fewer visits to the Emergency Department. Meanwhile, visits to primary care providers increased 88 percent.

Patients who receive treatment for their addictions and routine care from their primary care physicians are less likely to develop more serious diseases.

“Care for substance abusers can be exceedingly expensive,” Dr. Horton says. “By getting them treatment, we can reduce their suffering and benefit society as well.”

Brandywine Counseling’s Bobbie Dillard works directly and intensely with patients at Wilmington Hospital who have been identified as being addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Brandywine Counseling counselor 
Bobbie Dillard meets with patients with 
alcohol and drug abuse problems after 
they arrive at Wilmington Hospital.
Outreach for patients at bedside
“Bobbie comes to the bedside or the clinic or the Emergency Department and talks with the patients,” Dr. Horton says. “It’s a low-tech method that is having a positive impact on health care costs.”

Finding ways to channel people into treatment for their addictions could have a sweeping effect on the health care system. Currently, 7 percent of the adults in Delaware are considered problem drinkers, according to the state Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health.

“When you include drug abuse, the number is even higher,” Dr. Horton says.

Bolstered by the success of the program at Wilmington Hospital, Christiana Care hopes to expand the initiative to Christiana Hospital.

“We’re working with the state to try to secure federal funding,” Dr. Horton says. “We think we have come up with an effective method that saves both lives and money.”

Friday, July 23, 2010

Countdown to our Big Announcement

Ten days to go until we announce our exciting news! Have you joined our email list or our Facebook page? Be the first to hear it, the morning of August 2, at 10 AM. You don't want to miss this!

We’ve given you a hint of what’s coming. Brandywine's going to get even better at meeting your needs.

So, what does that mean? How do you think Brandywine could get better? We’d like to hear from you! Tell us what more you'd like to see us do to meet the needs of the people we serve.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Be Here for Exciting News, August 2!

At Brandywine, you’ve come to expect the best.

The best possible care.

The most compassionate and knowledgeable staff.

The most services, for all areas of your life, all in one place.

Your best chance at a new life.

Now, the best is about to get even better. We’re changing, to be even better at meeting your needs.

Exciting news is coming from Brandywine Counseling! Be the first to hear the big announcement, Monday August 2. Sign up for our e-newsletter, and become a fan on Facebook.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Housing, Rehab Services Grow for Delaware’s Recovering Persons

Jim Martin, a housing and recovery advocate from downstate, wrote to us with an update on some new services available for recovering persons in Delaware.

You might remember our previous posts here and here on Jim’s past as an Oxford House resident and volunteer. Now a graduate in good standing, he still volunteers with Oxford House. “Throughout the past 2 years, I have successfully placed over 150 men and 8 women in affordable recovery beds and my plan is to keep going because I see how the need keeps growing and growing,” he says.

Jim passed along a number of resources we wanted to share with you:
  • U Count Family Home is a new 3/4 recovery house in Georgetown with a special focus on dads in recovery. Located at 1 New Street, it has space for up to 8 men. The typical resident is coming from prison, homelessness or rehab, and working toward reunifying with their children. Jim is the volunteer organizer for U Count, and wants to thank BCI Georgetown for sending many housing referrals. “Both Kelle [Paynter] and Rachel [Eaton] have been doing tremendous work in our communities down here in Sussex!!” he says. “They are excellent resources and have so much knowledge about the area."
  • The new I-ADAPT team in Kent County has monthly meetings open to the public. I-ADAPT helps place substance abusers and others into employment and housing after release from prison. "We are all coming away with a better understanding of how the state agencies and committees have been working together for effective prisoner reentry," Jim says. "Obviously, there is much to be done and we must continue to work together to bring about significant change."
  • The Delaware Department of Labor is offering a summer Job Club to provide assistance with resume writing, interviewing practice, and job searching. This is specifically intended for people with difficult employment barriers. Contact Jim for more information.
Jim invites you to reach out to him with any questions about Oxford housing or any of the items above. You can reach him by phone at (302) 858-6980, or by email at james.martin@state.de.us or green1980580@yahoo.com.

Thanks Jim for the update, and for all the work you do.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Open Letter to the U.S Secretary of State: Release U.S. Funding for Global Harm Reduction

Brandywine Counseling has signed on to the following letter, urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to release U.S. funding for international syringe exchange programs before the International AIDS Conference in July.

June 28, 2010

Secretary Hillary Clinton
United States Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Clinton,

We are concerned that the State Department has yet to release updated guidance for HIV prevention among injection drug users. Last December, the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) released a new Five-Year Strategy for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) that underscored the importance of establishing prevention priorities necessary to combat the epidemic. Around the same time, Congress voted to allow federal funding for syringe exchange programs (SEPs) in the US, underscoring the importance of evidence-based prevention programming. Despite clear statements from the Administration in support of syringe exchange as part of a comprehensive program, without Administration guidance domestic and international programs are still prohibited from using federal funds for one of the most effective HIV prevention tools.

Outside sub-Saharan Africa one third of new HIV infections are due to injection drug use. In countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Vietnam and China, more than half of infections are due to injection drug use. By implementing syringe exchange, some countries, like Britain, Australia and France avoided large scale epidemics among people who inject drugs. A review of data from 81 cities across Europe, Asia, and North America with and without SEPs found that, on average, HIV infection increased by 5.9 percent per year in the 52 cities without SEPs and decreased by 5.8 percent per year in the 29 cities with SEPs. This represents an 11 percent net difference in seroprevalence when comparing cities with and without SEPs. Programs could, right now, prevent thousands of new HIV infections at very little cost.

The upcoming International AIDS Conference in Vienna will have a special focus on Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union where injection drug use is the cause of one of the world's fastest growing HIV epidemics. As the single largest donor for HIV/AIDS programs around the world, the United States will be in the spotlight. We urge you to release guidance that embraces syringe exchange in advance of that event.

Sincerely,

ACT UP Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
After Hours Project, Inc., Brooklyn, NY
Agua Buena Human Rights Association, San Jose, Cost Rica
AIDS Action Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
AIDS Action Council, Washington, DC
AIDS Alliance for Faith and Health, Atlanta, GA
AIDS Care Ocean State, Providence, RI
AIDS Community Research Consortium, Redwood City, CA
AIDS Education Global Information System (www.aegis.org), San Juan Capistrano, CA
AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
AIDS Foundation Houston Inc, Houston, TX
AIDS Policy Project, Philadelphia, PA
AIDS Project Greater Danbury, Danbury, CT
AIDS Project Hartford, Inc., Hartford, CT
AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region; The Cleve Jones Wellness House, Gilsum, NH
AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
AIDS Task Force, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN
AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition, New York, NY
AIDSfreeAFRICA, Ossining, NY
Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association, Anchorage, AK
American Civil Liberties Union, New York, NY and Washington, DC
American Medical Student Association, Reston, VA
American Public Health Association, Washington, DC
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, New York, NY
Aniz, Inc, Atlanta, GA
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, Akron, OH
AVAC: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention, New York, N.Y.
AXIOS Eastern Orthodox LGBT Christian AIDS Ministry, New York, NY
Brandywine Counseling, Inc., Wilmington, Delaware
Brown University AIDS Program, Providence, RI
California Communities United Institute, Citrus Heights, CA
Caring Ambassadors Program, Oregon City, OR
Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), Washington, DC
Center for Health Justice, Los Angeles, CA
Center for Women Policy Studies, Washington, DC
Centre for Health Policy and Innovation, Johannesburg, South Africa
Chattanooga CARES, Chattanooga, TN
Chicago Recovery Alliance, Chicago, IL
Children With AIDS Project of America, Tempe, AZ
Circles of Fire Productions, Brooklyn, NY
CitiWide Harm Reduction, Bronx, NY
Common Ground – the Westside HIV Community Center, Santa Monica, CA
Community Access National Network (CANN), Washington, DC
Community Health Action of Staten Island, Staten Island, New York
Community Health Awareness Group, Detroit, MI
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP), Providence, RI
Community Information Center, Inc., Portland, OR
DC Community AIDS Network (DC CAN), Washington, DC
Delaware HIV Consortium, Wilmington, DE
Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+), Delhi, India
Dignity/USA National AIDS Project, Boston, MA
Divine Openarms, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Downtown Manhattan HCV Support Group, New York, NY
Drug Policy Alliance, New York, NY
Eastern Maine AIDS Network, Bangor, ME
Education for Healthy Choices, Sacramento, CA
EL HAYET des personnes vivant avec le VIH, Paye, Algerie
Elton John AIDS Foundation, New York, NY
Family and Medical Counseling Service, Inc. (FMCS), Washington, DC
Family Services Network of New York, Brooklyn, NY
Fenway Health, Boston, MA
Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (FIAR), Brooklyn, NY
Frannie Peabody Center, Portland, ME
Gay Men’s Health Crisis, New York, NY
Global AIDS Alliance, Washington, DC
Global Coalition of Women against AIDS, Kampala, Uganda
Global Health Strategies, York, NY
Global Justice Ministry, Metropolitan Community Churches, Metropolitan Community Church of New
York, NY
Grand Rapids Red Project, Grand Rapids, MI
Greater Love Tabernacle-HIV/AIDS Services, Dorchester, MA
Harm Reduction Action Center, Denver, CO
Harm Reduction Coalition, New York, NY
Harm Reduction Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana
Health GAP (Global Access Project), New York, NY
HealthReach Harm Reduction, Augusta, ME
Hep C Connection, Denver CO
Hepatitis Education Project, Seattle, Washington
HIV/AIDS Law Project, Phoenix, AZ
HIV/AIDS Resource Center, Ypsilanti, MI
HIV Education and Prevention Project of Alameda County, Oakland, CA
HIV Medicine Association, Arlington, VA
HIVictorious, Inc., Madison, WI
Housing Works, New York, NY and Washington, DC
Human Rights Watch, New York, NY
IDSA/HIVMA Center for Global Health Policy, Arlington, VA
Indiana Minority Health Coalition; Brothers Uplifting Brothers, Inc., Merrillville, IN
International Community of Women Living with HIV and AIDS-North American Region, Washington,
DC
International AIDS Empowerment, El Paso, TX
International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Washington, DC
International Women’s Health Coalition, New York, NY
Interpharm International Limited, Kenya
Intersect Worldwide, New York, NY
Laramie Reproductive Health, Laramie, WY
Liberty Research Group, Rochester, NY
Life Foundation, Honolulu, HI
LifeLinc of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
Lilitan Research and Consultancy, Accra, Ghana
Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center, New York, NY
MCCNY Charities, New York, NY
Mendocino County AIDS/Viral Hepatitis Network, Ukiah, CA
Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office, Washington, DC
Metropolitan Community Church Key West, Key West, FL
Michigan Positive Action Coalition, Detroit, MI
Minnesota AIDS Project, Minneapolis, MN
Minority Health Coalition of Marion County, Indianapolis, IN
MOCHA Center, Inc., Buffalo, NY & Rochester, NY
National AIDS Fund, Washington, DC
National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, Washington, DC
National Association of Social Workers – USA, Washington, DC
National Forum of People Living HIV/AIDS Networks in Uganda (NAFOPHANU), Kampala Uganda
National Hepatitis C Advocacy Council, Brooklyn, NY
National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, Decatur, GA
National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC), Washington, DC
Needle Exchange Program of Asheville (NEPA), Asheville, NC
Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS, Lusaka, Zambia
New Destiny Recovery Ministry, Inc, Baltimore, MD
New York Harm Reduction Educators, Inc., Bronx, NY & New York, NY
North American Old Catholic Church, Washington, DC
North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, Winston Salem and Chapel Hill, NC
North Shore Health Project, Gloucester, MA
NYC AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN), Brooklyn, NY
NYU Medical Center Hepatitis C Support Group, New York, NY
O'Connor Hospital HCV & HBV Support Group, Delhi, NY
Open Society Institute, Washington, DC
Philadelphia Global AIDS Watchdogs (GAWD), Philadelphia, PA
Phoenix Center, Springfield IL
Physicians for Human Rights, Cambridge, MA & Washington, DC
Population Council, New York, NY
Positive Health Project, Inc., New York, NY
Positive Outreach Foundation, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
Positive Voice, Athens, Greece
Praxis Housing Initiatives Inc., New York, NY
PreventionWorks, Washington, DC
Project Inform, San Francisco, CA
PSI (Population Services International), Washington, DC
Public Health - Seattle & King County, Seattle, WA
Safe Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
SafeGames Project, New York, NY
Salud Latina/Latino Health, Chicago, IL
San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, CA
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS), New York, NY and Washington, DC
Sisters and Brothers Helping Each Other, Kankakee, IL
SLO Bangers Syringe Exchange, San Luis Obispo, CA
Sonoma County Commission on AIDS, Santa Rosa, CA
Sonoma County Hepatitis AIDS Reduction Program (SHARP)/syringe exchange, Santa Rosa (and
surrounding areas), CA
Spokane AIDS Network, Spokane, WA
St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction, Bronx, NY
Status C Unknown, Medford, NY
Support on AIDS and Life through Telephone Helpline (SALT) Uganda, Kampala
Tapestry Health, Florence, MA
The AIDS Institute, Washington, DC & Tampa, FL
The Brown Global Health Initiative, Providence, RI
The Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, Providence RI
The Foundation for Research on Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Inc (FROST’D), New York, NY
The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF), Oakland, CA
The Miriam Immunology Center, Providence, RI
The Space at Tompkins, New York, NY
The Women’s Center, Bronx, NY
Timi Hami Ani Hamro Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
Total Health Awareness Team, Rockford, IL
Transexuales y Transgeneros en Marcha (TTM), San Juan, PR
Treatment Action Group, New York, NY
Treatment Education Network, Denver CO
Triangle Health Collective, Durham, NC
Tri-County Health Coalition of Southern Indiana Inc., New Albany, IN
Trust for America’s Health, Washington, DC
2 God B The Glory, Inc Women Supportive Housing Program, Baltimore, MD
25 Messengers, Indonesia
Uganda Integrated Community Based Projects, Kampala, Uganda
UHAP -- Upstate New York Hepatitis Awareness Project, Delancey, New York
Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, Abilene, TX
Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services (UCHAPS), Washington, DC
Voices Of Community Advocates & Leaders (VOCAL), Brooklyn, NY
Vortex Consulting, LLC, Wenonah, NJ
Washington Heights CORNER Project, New York, NY
Wateree Aids Task Force in Sumter, SC
West County Health Centers, Inc., Guerneville, CA
Women in Motion, Inc., Indianapolis, IN
Youth Empowerment & Human Development Initiative (YEHDI), Kano, Nigeria

CC:
Senator John Kerry, Chair, Foreign Relations Committee
Senator Richard Lugar, Ranking Member, Foreign Relations Committee
Senator Inouye, Chair, Appropriations Committee
Senator Leahy, Chair, State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee
Senator Gregg, Ranking Member, State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee
Senator Tom Harkin, Chair, Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee
Senator Richard Durbin, Majority Whip
Representative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
Representative Howard Berman, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee
Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member, Foreign Affairs Committee
Representative Waxman, Chair, Energy and Commerce Committee
Representative David Obey, Chair, Appropriations Committee
Representative Nita Lowey, Chair, State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee
Representative Kay Granger, Ranking Member, State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee
Representative José Serrano, Chair Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee
Representative Donald Payne, Chair, Foreign Affairs Africa and Global Health
Representative Michael Castle
Representative Elijah Cummings
Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Representative Barbara Lee
Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard
Ambassador Eric Goosby, Global AIDS Coordinator

Prevention Is Our Cure

Brandywine Counseling is on the air with some new radio public service announcements. These PSA's are a companion to our billboards warning of the dangers of drinking while pregnant. It's all part of our campaign to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders here in Delaware.

Here's the text of our English ad:

Every expectant parent's wish list...
  • 2 arms
  • 2 legs
  • Bright eyes
If you drink while pregnant, add on...
  • Facial abnormalities
  • Learning disabilities
  • Behavioral problems
  • Physical defects
  • Growth retardation
Don’t drink if you are pregnant or planning to be.
Brought to you by Brandywine Counseling.
Prevention is our cure.

And here's the text of our Spanish ad:

Tu bebé se merece el mejor comienzo.
Si estás embarazada o estás pensando en tener un bebé, no bebas alcohol.
El alcohol puede dañar a tu bebé de por vida. Así que piensa antes de beber.
Brought to you by Brandywine Counseling.
Prevention is our cure.

Translation:
Your baby deserves the best start.
Stop drinking alcohol if you’re pregnant or planning to be.
Alcohol can damage your baby for life. So think before you drink.