PARKERSBURG, W.V. (PRWEB)
January 30, 2020

Furthering its commitment to address the opioid epidemic and fight substance abuse in local communities, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia announced that a new Substance Use Resource Center is now available to people across the state regardless of insurance status.

The Substance Use Resource Center, made possible by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), is a publicly-available, national resource designed to support people seeking substance use treatment and recovery services in West Virginia.

The Substance Use Resource Center helpline is available 24 hours, seven days per week, 365 days a year to connect individuals in need as well as their friends and family with quality-based resources close to home from a trusted source.

For individuals seeking treatment for a substance use disorder, navigating treatment options and finding trusted care options is a daunting task. They will now be able to contact the Substance Use Resource Center and be connected to high-quality, local resources.

“The first step in recovery is knowing where to turn for help, and we need to do everything we can to make it easier for individuals taking that courageous step,” said Dr. Caesar DeLeo, vice president and executive medical director of strategic initiatives for Highmark. “The Substance Use Resource Center is another example of how leaders from across the state of West Virginia and from the BCBSA are working together on behalf of those touched by the opioid crisis.”

These resources include facilities and providers that have been identified with the Blue Distinction Centers® for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Designation, including those offering medication-assisted therapy. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated facilities that demonstrate a commitment to delivering evidence-based care that improves patient safety and health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the community and leading accreditation and quality organizations. Additionally, the Substance Use Resource Center’s web site also contains local resources such as the existing Help4WV hotline established by the State of West Virginia.

“BCBS companies and their foundations support, invest in and build programs and partnerships that have the greatest impact on the health and well-being of all Americans and the communities in which they live,” said Scott Serota, CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. “The Substance Use Resource Center aims to help people in every community who are impacted by substance use disorder, regardless of their coverage, find quality care they can trust where they need it most – close to home.”

For more information, visit SubstanceUseResourceCenter.com or call 833.959.HELP (4357).

About Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia serves approximately 325,000 members through the company’s health care benefits business and hundreds of thousands of additional members through the BlueCard® program. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of West Virginia holds the largest share of the commercial market, and more West Virginians carry a Blue Cross Blue Shield card than any other insurance carrier in the state. With offices in Parkersburg, Charleston and Wheeling, Highmark West Virginia employs more than 700 people and serves as a key economic driver in the state with its total economic impact reaching $262 million.

Highmark West Virginia is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, visit http://www.highmark.com.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Health of America Report® series and the national BCBS Health IndexSM. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit BCBS.com. We also encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube and follow us on Twitter.

About Substance Use Resource Center

As a part of a continued commitment to address the opioid epidemic and fight substance use in local communities, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are launching a national Substance Use Resource Center, to help those impacted by substance use find appropriate and quality care close to home. The resource center was developed by listening to the communities BCBS companies serve, as well as working with leading organizations, such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), National Quality Forum (NQF) and others (e.g., representatives from the correctional system, public health organizations, emergency rooms physicians, former substance users in recovery, etc.).

About Blue Distinction Centers

Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for providers located in its own service area; for details, contact your Local Blue Plan. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers’ need for affordable healthcare. Each provider’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Providers in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans’ areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on http://www.bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider’s in-network status or your own policy’s coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.

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