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Brandon Duncan

Mar 31
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Stepworks is now CARF accredited in KY drug treatment

By Stepworks Press Release No Comments
stepworks london ky

Stepworks Recovery Centers was awarded a Three-Year Accreditation for its comprehensive addiction treatment services by CARF International, the leading standards body for health services organizations. Having worked tirelessly to create a truly excellent client-centered program, the Stepworks team is eager to let the Kentucky treatment community know that it is now CARF accredited.

So what is CARF accreditation, and what did Stepworks do to become CARF accredited? This post will answer those questions and show what Stepworks’ recently granted Three-Year Accreditation status means for its clients and the recovery community at large.

What does it mean to be CARF accredited?

CARF International has been providing accreditation to health programs around the world since 1966. Think of accreditation like an official stamp of approval: it means that the CARF-accredited program has met or exceeded a variety of standards for providing care to clients. Not only that: it also means that program has shown a dedication to improving its quality of service.

Does being CARF accredited mean that a program can rest on its laurels? Not at all! After the period of accreditation is over, Stepworks will go through another CARF survey to keep its accredited status. In addition to that, Stepworks must prove that it is continuing to refine the quality of its services based on recommendations from CARF surveyors. To sum it up, Stepworks’ CARF accreditation means that Stepworks provides excellent client care and is continuing to make it even better.

Three-Year Accreditation? Does that mean there are different kinds?

There are different levels of accreditation that a program can receive. The Three-Year Accreditation that Stepworks received is the highest level of accreditation that CARF awards. This means that Stepworks staff will not have to spend time going through the evaluation process again after only a year. Instead, Stepworks will continue to focus on serving its clients and improving its services until the Three-Year Accreditation period ends and a new evaluation is required.

CARF accreditation is awarded not only to the health organization, but to the specific programs and services it offers. Stepworks was granted the full Three-Year Accreditation for all the programs it currently operates. Specifically, Stepworks Recovery Centers and Stepworks of London were accredited for the following programs:

  • Assessment and Referral
  • Detoxification
  • Intensive Outpatient Treatment
  • Partial Hospitalization
  • Residential Treatment

You can now find Stepworks listed in the CARF International provider directory using the search function at their website, or using the following links:

Stepworks Recovery Centers, LLC

Stepworks of London

How did Stepworks become CARF accredited?

Getting CARF accredited means committing to transparency and accountability. In the accreditation process, Stepworks worked closely with CARF to take a critical look at its services and operations. CARF surveyors conducted on-site inspection and evaluation of Stepworks of London, the current residential treatment center in operation. The process also involved submission of internal policy and documentation operations. That means that CARF was given access to see exactly how Stepworks serves its clients, including the built-in policy protections for the rights of clients.

Over the course of its history, Stepworks has not wavered in its commitment to treating clients like family. The well-being of those served will continue to be the core driver of the company’s mission and conduct. Stepworks is honored to have received official recognition from CARF for its commitment to standards and excellent client care. The team hopes this news will help those in need to make their way to Stepworks’ addiction services or another CARF accredited provider.

“CARF standards are internationally recognized benchmarks for excellence in healthcare. We’re proud of our Stepworks team for exceeding these standards and receiving the maximum allowed 3-year accreditation. We look forward to continuing our mission of serving the addicted people of Kentucky.” —Andrew Ingram, Stepworks COO

Feb 18
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Stepworks, science of addiction

Workplace addiction should be met with treatment-friendly policies

By Stepworks Connect No Comments

Workplace addiction was the topic of a Boyle County public forum in which Stepworks’ Dr. Tom Ingram was a featured speaker. Pam Wright of The Advocate-Messenger covered the forum and threw a spotlight on Dr. Ingram’s remarks about understanding addiction. Dr. Ingram emphasized that understanding addiction as a common brain disease is essential to helping employees get treatment for their condition.

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Nov 12
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stepworks recovery centers,meth addiction,crystal meth abuse,methamphetamine abuse

How meth addiction makes it hard to escape drug abuse

By Addiction News No Comments

Addiction doesn’t recognize boundaries, whether they are the boundaries that separate one addictive drug from another or the differences between one person and another. Anyone can suffer from the disease of addiction regardless of biology or background. Any addictive substance can be the one that destroys a life. Writing in Esquire, Christine Suhan offers a powerful account of her struggle to emerge from the depths of a debilitating meth addiction.

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Oct 26
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stepworks connect,addiction education,affordable care act,screening brief intervention and referral to treatment,addiction health

Medical Complications of Addiction: A Stepworks Speaker Series Event

By Stepworks Connect No Comments

Stepworks Speaker Series: Medical Complications of Addiction

Join Stepworks and Chrysalis House at the Chrysalis House Community Center for the next live presentation in our series of speakers on current topics in addiction.

Tuesday, November 10
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Chrysalis House Community Center
1589 Hill Rise Dr
Lexington, KY 40504

Our next speaker series event covers the intersections of addiction with other health issues. This educational forum is open to the public (please RSVP above) and will feature two speaker presentations. Shawn Ryan, MD, from Brightview Health, will speak first, followed by Jason Joy, LLPC, from UK Medical Center.

If you attended our first speaker series event with A. Thomas McLellan, PhD, you learned about the changes in healthcare law that are bringing addiction care into mainstream healthcare systems. In this upcoming presentation, we’ll expand on the relationships between diagnosing and treating substance use disorders and providing general healthcare services.

Part I: Insights from the ED: How to Appropriately Assess, Diagnose, and Refer Patients for Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Shawn Ryan, MD, BrightView Health, Cincinnati, OH

Hospital emergency departments see a high volume of patients, many of whom are suffering from undiagnosed substance use disorders. However, in the past, emergency department physicians and nurses haven’t been adequately trained to diagnose underlying addiction disorders. Now that addiction treatment is being integrated into mainstream healthcare systems, it’s more important than ever for ED healthcare workers to know how to conduct screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for substance abuse.

Part II: Medical Complications of Care for Those with Substance Use Disorders

Jason Joy, LPCC, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, KY

In part two of this speaker series event, Jason Joy will help us to step outside the emergency department to look at broader issues related to treating health conditions when a patient is also suffering from a substance use disorder. Health intervention outcomes and patient quality of life will be maximized only if healthcare workers address the substance use disorder that may be interfering with the patient’s health or treatment. This talk will also cover how a patient’s history of substance abuse can make certain medical procedures more difficult or problematic. For those in the field, it will offer practical suggestions to improve current treatment models.

Oct 02
Love1

Stepworks of London Open House Event

By Stepworks Press Release No Comments

Come meet the team at the Stepworks of London residential center on Thursday, October 22! We’ll be hosting a public Open House event from 2-7 p.m., during which we hope to introduce ourselves to the community and show what we have to offer.

When: Thursday, October 22, 2-7 p.m.

Where: Stepworks of London, 3825 Marydell Rd., London, KY 40741

The entire staff of Stepworks of London will be present at the Open House to meet with community members and answer any questions that you might have about what we do. We’re looking forward to introducing ourselves to you and showing off our state-of-the-art treatment center.

We hope to make the Open House a memorable event that showcases what we do best. The event will include catered refreshments, door prizes, and tours of the residential center. Stepworks of London has been open since April 15, 2015, and we’re excited about the work we’ve already accomplished and the future of our London facility. We’ve already had many clients graduate from our residential treatment program. Come meet the team at the Open House and we’ll be happy to share more about what we hope to do for the London community. We’ll see you there!

stepworks of london open house invitation
Jul 17
Love0

More treatment needed for opiate-dependent pregnant women

By Addiction News No Comments

Individual drug users aren’t always the only ones who suffer as a result of their drug use. Hikes in the number of infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) highlight the need for programs that treat opiate-dependent pregnant women. The problem of addiction during pregnancy is growing throughout the U.S., but the biggest crises are taking place in southern states like Kentucky. The Courier-Journal reports an alarming rise in NAS in the span of just one year. From 2013 to 2014, the number of infants admitted for hospital care for the syndrome in KY rose by 48 percent.

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Jun 24
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Here’s where the KY heroin treatment funding is going

By Addiction News No Comments

Back in March 2015, Kentucky lawmakers passed a heroin bill that, for many fighting the heroin epidemic in the state, was a long time coming. Now state officials have outlined plans for how they will allocate the $10 million of funding that was included in the final KY heroin treatment bill. KY Justice Secretary J. Michael Brown shared how the funds would be split between different treatment vectors in the state. Much of the funding will be going to the Department of Corrections in some form or another, while another large portion will be reserved for community mental health and treatment facilities.

In an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer, Brown emphasized the state’s determination to channel funds to programs that prove they use evidence-based treatment methods and get good treatment results. The state will reportedly begin accepting grant applications from mental health and substance abuse treatment centers in July. According to the Enquirer, advocates for heroin treatment in Northern Kentucky have been critical of the funding allocations. Some feel that the state should be explicitly expanding treatment capacity at rehab facilities with the funding instead of waiting for grant applications. They claim the need for heroin treatment in Northern KY is acute and urgent.

Is too much of the funding being reserved for KY heroin treatment in jails?

Another point of contention seems to be that the largest portion of heroin funding is going to supplement programs in jails and the criminal justice system in general. A total of $3 million will be used to fund substance abuse treatment programs in jails for county and state inmates. Northern KY county jails have already announced projects to expand substance abuse treatment programs in their facilities. Half of the $3 million in Department of Corrections funding will be used to provide medication for maintenance treatment for those who are released from incarceration.

Another portion of the funding has been reserved for the creation of “rocket docket” programs intended to speed up prosecution and sentencing procedures for drug offenders. Although the primary intention here is to increase efficiency in the courts, it should also result in county jails that are better able to provide detox and treatment to inmates by reducing overcrowding. Currently, local jails cannot meet the demand for treatment due to large inmate populations with a high rate of substance abuse disorders. These new funding measures aim to create a more efficient drug treatment system in the county jails.

More funding for pregnant women seeking KY heroin treatment

More of the funding will be used to enhance other vital drug treatment programs. A social workers program intended to promote alternative sentencing plans for drug offenders will receive $1.2 million. Another $1 million will go to programs that provide services to addicted pregnant women and infants suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome. The latter is an important area of treatment, with many noting the need for more programs that address the medical concerns of pregnant women suffering from substance abuse.

Jun 11
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Northern KY to create new drug policy center

By Addiction News No Comments

Several KY counties seek to improve Northern KY drug treatment efforts by creating a shared policy center for the region, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Northern KY Office of Drug Control Policy is planned to open July 1, 2015, using funds from three counties in the region: Kenton, Boone, and Campbell Counties. This regional office will be tasked with the research and proposal of effective drug treatment and prevention methods for the counties, which are facing tough problems with drug abuse, especially from heroin.

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May 29
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HIV outbreak from drug abuse in Indiana puts KY at risk

By Addiction News No Comments

A recent outbreak of HIV infection in rural Indiana has Kentucky officials on alert for new HIV infection cases from sharing needles while injecting heroin and other opioid drugs. In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an HIV outbreak centered in a small rural community in Indiana, in which most individuals who were infected had been engaged in shared drug use activity, most commonly injecting an opioid painkiller with shared syringes. They found that 135 people in a community of 4,200 were infected with the virus. Kentucky health officials are concerned the state could be at risk for a similar outbreak.

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May 19
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Northern KY sees success in reducing heroin deaths

By Addiction News No Comments

Fewer people died from heroin overdose in 2014 than in the previous year in some Northern KY counties, where the heroin epidemic is hitting communities the hardest. This comes as encouraging news for a region desperate for effective solutions to a drug problem that has seemed only to worsen in recent years. While the decrease in overdose deaths in some counties may be small, it could be a sign that prevention and treatment strategies are finally starting to reverse the epidemic.

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