ANN ARBOR, Mich. (PRWEB)
September 06, 2019

Workit Health, a telehealth addiction treatment company bringing affordable, evidence-based care to individuals, healthcare organizations, and employers, is featured in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) as a promising solution to fight the opioid crisis.

Over 70% of rural counties disproportionately affected by the overdose crisis lack an opioid use disorder (OUD) medication prescriber – Workit Health is filling this gap in care via telehealth. Rita Ruben’s JAMA article published on August 28th, “Using Telemedicine to Treat Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Areas,” highlights the issues in rural counties where health care professionals aren’t able to treat addiction, and suggests telemedicine as a solution to meet the growing demand.

The JAMA article notes Workit Health as the single company currently connecting prescribers to patients via smartphone app. Programs like Workit Health’s, offering telehealth video visits and online therapy, meet the need for both behavioral health support and medication management required for OUD care, and stand as an underutilized solution for addressing the current crisis. A recent analysis of claims data found relatively low rates of Tele-SUD (substance use disorder) treatment claims, which the authors of the study noted, “Given the severity of the opioid epidemic, low rates of tele-SUD use represent a missed opportunity.”

JAMA talked with Workit Health’s Clinical Advisor Dr. Melody Glenn, who explained the basics of Workit Health’s program: members meet with a clinician in-person, then move to online care via web and phone-apps. Drug testing, online recovery groups, messaging with an expert team, and a personalized set of addiction courses are also included in the program. All follow-up video visits with prescribing clinicians are done via the apps, as well: “It’s a lot like FaceTime,” Glenn explained.

“We’re proud to have our telemedicine work featured in JAMA,” Lisa McLaughlin, Workit Health’s Co-CEO, says. “The studies now show that opioid use disorder treatment with buprenorphine has positive outcomes regardless of visits being in-person or telehealth. We’ve also found this to be the case with our own high rate of patient success.”

“Low-barrier care means helping more people, and saving more lives, so the team is really excited to have JAMA highlight the work we’ve been doing.” Robin McIntosh, Workit Health’s Co-CEO, says. “Lisa, myself, and other Workit staff have lost loved ones to the opioid crisis. We’re connecting experts to those who don’t have rides to treatment, or can’t find childcare.”

Workit Health was founded in 2015 by Robin McIntosh and Lisa McLaughlin, two award-winning entrepreneurs and technologists in long-term addiction recovery themselves, and has since received Joint Commission accreditation for it’s telemedicine addiction therapy program. Workit Health has followed a cohort of it’s telemedicine for OUD program for over a year, with outstanding outcomes: 93% reached abstinence from opioids after the first month in the program, with 84% of them remaining abstinent from opioids after 12 months. It has partnered with the National Science Foundation on a proprietary algorithm to track wellness in recovery, and last year received B Corporation status, solidifying its mission to do social good.

About Workit Health: Workit Health is an addiction healthcare company offering online, on-demand evidence-based addiction treatment including telehealth medication for opioid use disorder. Workit Health partners with healthcare organizations to deliver an innovative digital health solution that blends the best of human-centered design, technology, and science. Through mobile and web apps, members meet with clinicians and Master’s level coaches and complete self-set recovery goals. Workit Health offers 24/7 recovery that fits into daily life, designed by experts. Learn more at workithealth.com.

About JAMA: JAMA, published continuously since 1883, is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal. JAMA is a member of the JAMA Network family of journals, which includes 11 specialty journals and JAMA Network Open.

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SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB)
September 07, 2019

To bolster the efforts of the American Association of Suicidology during National Suicide Prevention Week (September 8 to 14), author Michael McTeigue is sharing an unlimited number of digital copies of his recently published book, Don’t Kill Yourself… Yet: Unleash the Seven Life Hacks to Crush Depression and Anxiety NOW. The book is available to everyone as a free Kindle download on Amazon.com for five days, from September 9 through September 13.

“Persistent thoughts of suicide plague people who suffer from chronic depression and anxiety,” said McTeigue, the author of three previous books. “The Seven Life Hacks offered in my new book can help alleviate depression and anxiety and reduce the occurrence of suicidal thoughts. I felt that National Suicide Prevention Week was exactly the right time to offer for free the book’s ‘life hacks’ to people of all ages who might benefit from them.”

Written in conversational voice and irreverent tone, Don’t Kill Yourself… Yet gives depressed and anxious readers seven simple and memorable life hacks to “banish their demons and restore their life force in a very short time.” McTeigue commented that the “last thing the world needs is yet another inspirational pep talk about the power of positive thinking. Instead, my new book provides a practical and powerful approach to managing the four forces that are literally killing your life force every moment of every single day.”

McTeigue’s new book is based on the author’s personal experience with depression. As a “quintessential disillusioned New Age idealist,” McTeigue fought his way back to better mental health through The Seven Life Hacks, which he hopes will help lighten the load for each person who tries them.

For more information on improving mental health and preventing suicides, visit the following websites: https://suicidology.org/, https://afsp.org/campaigns/national-suicide-prevention-week-2019/, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/, http://jasonfoundation.com/; #why care, #suicideprevention, #ImHereForYou

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (PRWEB)
September 08, 2019

Everything was fine … until it wasn’t. Junius Dotson’s new book, Soul Reset, details a candid account of the former pastor’s journey through grief, depression, burnout, emotional breakdown, and his journey to wholeness. Dotson’s journey has led him on a path of sharing principles and practices with leaders who have the awesome responsibility of guiding people. Whether you are leading a corporate team, a congregation, or your family, everyone needs to keep their soul hydrated and healthy in order to lead well.    

“It took an actual breakdown for me to realize that I needed a soul reset,” says Dotson, the General Secretary/CEO of Discipleship Ministries, an international agency of the United Methodist Church. “Understanding that anxiety, depression, and the inability to be vulnerable are leading causes of many problems we face, including suicide, it was imperative for me to come clean as a pastor and person of faith about my wake-up call,” Dotson adds. “My refusal to confront what was facing me created insurmountable anxiety in my life that turned into full-blown depression, and it nearly took me out.”

The title, Soul Reset, echoes the “return to factory settings” option on a computer. Sometimes when a computer – or a life – gets so filled with clutter and extraneous matter, the best solution is a hard reset, a process that restores the device to its original setting.

“It [a breakdown] could happen to the best of us,” explains Dotson. “I bought into the myth that what it took to be a strong leader was to never allow myself to be vulnerable.”

Dotson starts the Soul Reset book tour in Dallas, September 6–8. The appearances include half-day leadership summits, signings, and speaking to leaders and congregations about a plan to reset and reorder their lives around spiritual practices and principles. “We are going to have difficult seasons,” Dotson says. “But learning to walk through those challenging times requires us to be connected to a source greater than ourselves,” he said. The book tour and speaking schedule are available at SoulReset.org.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A recognized visionary leader in church revitalization, the Rev. Junius B. Dotson is the General Secretary (CEO) of Discipleship Ministries, an international agency of The United Methodist Church. Prior to his present position, Rev. Dotson served as pastor of Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, where he was instrumental in transforming the church into a 3,500-member multicampus congregation. Soul Reset is published by Upper Room Books, part of Discipleship Ministries.

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