Observing International Overdose Awareness Day
International Overdose Awareness Day occurs every year on August 31st, serving as a stark reminder of the devastation of the opioid crisis. In the past few years, overdose deaths have increased dramatically. In the United States, more than 100,000 people die as the result of an overdose each year. That’s ...
Specialized addiction treatment making a difference for LGBTQ+ people in recovery
SpectrumNews1 Date: June 21, 2023 By Devin Bates WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - When it comes to addiction, understanding the struggles of someone starting their path to recovery can be the difference between progress and sliding back into the cycle. For the LGBTQ+ community, addiction is more prevalent, but treatment catered to their ...
New recovery support center opens in Lynn
ItemLive.com Date: June 20, 2023 By Emily Pauls LYNN — Spectrum Health Systems has opened a peer-recovery support center on Exchange Street called the Recovery Exchange. “This is peer support. It’s one person in recovery helping another person in recovery. Everybody that works here is in recovery,” Spectrum Health Systems ...
Pride Month: Honoring and Celebrating the LGBTQ+ Community
With Pride Month in full swing, Spectrum Health Systems honors the LGBTQ+ community and acknowledges the difficulties encountered by its members. The disadvantages, discrimination, and other challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community create an increased risk of behavioral health issues such as substance use disorder, self-harm, depression, and anxiety. The ...
Recognizing the Members of Spectrum’s 2023 President’s Club
Since Spectrum Health Systems was founded in 1969—known then as Challenge House—we have been intently focused on offering the highest quality services to individuals seeking treatment for substance use and mental health disorders. Spectrum’s goal is to assist its clients in establishing and sustaining recovery, giving them the tools needed ...
Spreading Crucial Awareness About the Dangers of Fentanyl
In recent years, fentanyl has become the predominant adversary in the opioid epidemic. Fentanyl and fentanyl analogues can be deadly in very small doses because of their powerful effects. The chemical composition of fentanyl also makes it much easier to traffic than other drugs, allowing it to saturate the illicit ...
Observing National Minority Health Month
Addressing health equity is crucial to the advancement of health services. No person should ever face higher health risks because of their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other attribute of their identity. Yet, disparities like these have long been observed in the health outcomes of minority groups, including ...
Get to Know Kristin Nolan, Chief Behavioral Health Officer
Having started as a clinician in 2000, Kristin Nolan has deep roots with Spectrum Health Systems. Early on, she found the clinical work rewarding, but over time she began to feel like she could have a broader impact in the addiction treatment field by focusing her efforts on the operations ...
The Shifting Landscape of Telehealth Addiction Treatment
As the United States government searches for leverage in the battle against the opioid epidemic, several recent developments have altered the way medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), such as buprenorphine, can be prescribed. While some of these changes have increased accessibility to buprenorphine, others threaten to hinder access. With ...
Acknowledging Health Equity Pioneers
In observance of Black History Month, Spectrum Health Systems is honoring some of the people who have improved access to care and worked to address treatment disparities affecting the Black community. Just as the Black community has faced economic and educational injustices, it has also faced healthcare inequalities. In the ...
