In another effort to combat the opioid crisis, the Department of Health and Human Services has unveiled an addiction treatment locator website, FindTreatment.gov.
The goal of the website is to make it easier for people struggling with addiction to find treatment centers. HHS and its subagency, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, compiled data from 13,000 treatment facilities across the U.S. FindTreatment.gov is an updated version of SAMHSA’s previous treatment directory, intended to make finding treatment more user-friendly.
That data includes the insurance that the centers accept, from private plans to Medicaid, as well as free services, types of treatment offered and special services like LGBTQ or veterans programs. People can search the site by city or ZIP code.
“Better access to treatment, prevention and recovery services is one of the five pillars of HHS’ strategy to end the opioid crisis,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar, in a statement. “We know that finding access to the right provider, at the right time, can be essential to helping someone start on the road to recovery.”
The website also includes education about treatment types like detox, outpatient and transitional housing alongside information about addiction, mental health and paying for treatment. These resources stress that addiction and mental health issues can happen to anyone and that both conditions are treatable.
It also has tips for the loved ones of someone undergoing addiction treatment, like the benefits of going to counseling and ways to support them.
In 2018, more than 19 million Americans had a substance abuse disorder, according to SAMHSA.
