Community Outreach

Welcome to the Show

As the #coronavirus clown zombie apocalypse unfolds in real time…Pay close attention to the way an “epidemic” is handle by the authorities.

Best practice is focused on assertive community outreach.

They are literally searching the community for potentially infected people.

Everyone talks about the “opioid epidemic” but the approach is completely different where Substance Use Disorder is concerned.

Clown Zombie Thinking

“Let’s pump more and more money into facility based care and wait for the people in need to show up”. Of course they must :hit bottom” and be “willing”!

If the Coronavirus was handled in a manner analogous to the standard operating procedure for SUD… we would just wait for people to show up at the hospital.

Once the infection got bad enough they would come to us…. damn it.

These people really need to show some initiative.

The “Experts”

Where Substance Use Disorder is concerned the “experts” are not actually expert.

They are experts on SUD as it manifests itself in the fraction of people who are seen in facility based care. Maybe “10%” of the problem. And that is extremely generous estimate.

Furthermore, the “facility based” cohort is a homogenous group. Same treadmill story with most!

The 10% Willing and Ready

People who are sufficiently motivated (externally or internally) to “show up”.

This a fundamental truth that is ignored in most discussion surrounding Substance Use Disorder. Nothing will ever change until that reality is addressed.

And treatment providers can not do outreach. They are specialists in acute care and stabilization.

We are specialists in community outreach.

A podiatrist does not try to do the job of a cardiologist.

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