Mobile Healthcare Unit to Treat Rural Addiction
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June 26, 2013 will forever be remembered as one of the most significant days in my life. On that day, my girlfriend(now wife) caught me using heroin, as red handed as one can be caught. At that time, it wasn't unusual as she knew I had been battling opioid addiction for several years. What stood out is when I decided it was time to get help, I was basically told "come back later" by the local clinic. It should have been the last day I ever used and it wasn't. Even though I was ready to quit, it didn't matter. I wasn't ready to quit on "intake day," as the clinic called it; the only day they accept new patients.
When my wife caught me, I tried to talk my way out of it, but she didn't want to talk. She was at her wits end. At that moment, she gave me the ultimatum that probably saved my life. She demanded that I get treatment or she would cut me out of her life completely. I could tell she was serious, my wife is no pushover.
After an emotional, "rock bottom" identifying conversation, we started looking for treatment options. At the time, we lived in downtown Atlanta, so we assumed there would be plenty of places nearby for me to go. We were wrong. With no insurance and a very limited budget, I was left with only one option; the methadone clinic on the outskirts of the city. I didn't care. I was finally serious about getting treatment, so I was desperate. We called the clinic and they informed us that they only accepted new patients one day per week, "intake day." They weren't accepting new patients for two days. Two days may not sound like a long time, but I assure you, to someone in active addiction, it's a lifetime!
At that point I was faced with a decision: spend the next two days super sick, in full blown heroin withdrawal, or take my chances out in the city (using to avoid being in withdrawal) and hope I still want to receive treatment two days later.
My wife offered me a third option, one that most people needing treatment don't receive. She said that she would allow me to sequester myself at her apartment until the methadone clinic could start my treatment. She gave me a safe place to essentially hide out to ensure my entrance into treatment. If she had not given me a safe haven for those two days, to wait for treatment; I really don't think I would have actually followed through. It would've been just like any of the other times I said I'd get help, but never did. And so, June 26,2013 stands out in my life because it was the day I knew I finally wanted to address my drug addiction, but instead I was told to wait. Even in a highly populated metropolitan area, opioid recovery treatment was not exactly readily available and easily accessible. If that's an issue in a major city, imagine how difficult finding treatment is in any of the countless rural communities nationwide. Therein lies the backbone of this initiative: creating readily available access to recovery treatment no matter where you live and how far it may be from the closest treatment center.
Recently, I started a company that's sole focus was to increase access to quality care and make sure recovery treatment is available where it's needed most. Echo Kalos is ancient Greek for "they shall recover". My company, Echo Kalos Recovery Solutions, is aimed at making sure every person looking for Substance Use Disorder treatment is able to easily get it. At EK Recovery Solutions, we re-purpose ambulances into mobile, HIPAA compliant telehealth booths. We contract directly with local recovery agencies that are willing to offer recovery treatment via video chat. Then, our mobile units visit each patient to connect the telehealth session. Once the telehealth appointment is finished the mobile unit provides any necessary in-person services that the telemed doctor requires(drug screen, vitals check, etc). The final result is remote recovery treatment through secure video chat that's comprehensive, and of the same quality as one would expect if they physically visited a recovery practice. With this initiative, high caliber recovery care is available for anyone regardless of what barriers might be preventing them from attending regular treatment (geographical location, lack of transportation, lack of childcare, etc).
So far, I've submitted funding proposals to Maine's Office of Behavioral Health and the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services. I've also been in touch with the governor's opioid response task force, as well as the Center for Medicaid/Medicare Services. Although my model has been well received by all of the above parties, the funding required for a program like this is substantial and difficult to acquire.
I've done as much as I can by myself. So far, I've built out the company, and almost completed my first unit. So, now I'm reaching out to anyone that's been affected by this scourge; anyone that recognizes the amount of good this model could do. I need your help to piece the rest of this together.
My next steps are in the licensing and implementation departments. I need to pay for certification with the board of licensing. I also need to pay for my urine screen certification. The final component to finish the first unit is an omni-directional antenna for mobile internet that can support video-chat; that item alone is several thousand dollars. Perhaps most importantly, I need to be able to pay the necessary legal fees needed to set up this very complicated model so that I'm fully compliant with the overly complicated laws behind addiction treatment, as it relates to telehealth. If I can reach my financial goal, I will be able to tie any loose ends so I can launch and begin helping folks struggling with addiction.
This project is extremely important to me. When I was 25, I never thought I'd live to see my 30th birthday; much less build a family. This June I'll be 7 years clean from heroin. I'm now 33 with two beautiful baby boys, and an incredibly supportive wife. I've come a long way since the methadone clinic. I am extremely lucky that I was somehow able to navigate the maze of addiction treatment. It was not easy for me, and it's not easy for anyone else. For every "success story" there's twenty stories of those who weren't able to successfully recovery from Substance Use Disorder. Hopefully, with your help, I can start something that has the ability to truly help so many people that are stuck in the grip of addiction. I wish something like this had been around for me 7 years ago. I have many friends who have lost their lives battling opioid addiction. I'll never see them again. I can't help but to think that if I had launched this program a decade ago, then perhaps they would still be alive. A decade ago, I was still battling my worst demons. I'm in a better place now, and I know this is my chance to do my part to ensure that anyone who wants recovery care can easily get it. This model presents the opportunity to bring aid to a lot of people, the only thing holding me back is lack of funding. My biggest fear is that I'm fiscally unable to launch this program and it dies before it's had a chance to help anyone. Drug addiction knows no prejudice; nobody is exempt. It's vital that we start doing whatever it takes to make recovery treatment as available as the drugs that make that treatment necessary. Thanks for your time.
-John
June 26, 2013 will forever be remembered as one of the most significant days in my life. On that day, my girlfriend(now wife) caught me using heroin, as red handed as one can be caught. At that time, it wasn't unusual as she knew I had been battling opioid addiction for several years. What stood out is when I decided it was time to get help, I was basically told "come back later" by the local clinic. It should have been the last day I ever used and it wasn't. Even though I was ready to quit, it didn't matter. I wasn't ready to quit on "intake day," as the clinic called it; the only day they accept new patients.When my wife caught me, I tried to talk my way out of it, but she didn't want to talk. She was at her wits end. At that moment, she gave me the ultimatum that probably saved my life. She demanded that I get treatment or she would cut me out of her life completely. I could tell she was serious, my wife is no pushover.
After an emotional, "rock bottom" identifying conversation, we started looking for treatment options. At the time, we lived in downtown Atlanta, so we assumed there would be plenty of places nearby for me to go. We were wrong. With no insurance and a very limited budget, I was left with only one option; the methadone clinic on the outskirts of the city. I didn't care. I was finally serious about getting treatment, so I was desperate. We called the clinic and they informed us that they only accepted new patients one day per week, "intake day." They weren't accepting new patients for two days. Two days may not sound like a long time, but I assure you, to someone in active addiction, it's a lifetime!
At that point I was faced with a decision: spend the next two days super sick, in full blown heroin withdrawal, or take my chances out in the city (using to avoid being in withdrawal) and hope I still want to receive treatment two days later.
My wife offered me a third option, one that most people needing treatment don't receive. She said that she would allow me to sequester myself at her apartment until the methadone clinic could start my treatment. She gave me a safe place to essentially hide out to ensure my entrance into treatment. If she had not given me a safe haven for those two days, to wait for treatment; I really don't think I would have actually followed through. It would've been just like any of the other times I said I'd get help, but never did. And so, June 26,2013 stands out in my life because it was the day I knew I finally wanted to address my drug addiction, but instead I was told to wait. Even in a highly populated metropolitan area, opioid recovery treatment was not exactly readily available and easily accessible. If that's an issue in a major city, imagine how difficult finding treatment is in any of the countless rural communities nationwide. Therein lies the backbone of this initiative: creating readily available access to recovery treatment no matter where you live and how far it may be from the closest treatment center.
Recently, I started a company that's sole focus was to increase access to quality care and make sure recovery treatment is available where it's needed most. Echo Kalos is ancient Greek for "they shall recover". My company, Echo Kalos Recovery Solutions, is aimed at making sure every person looking for Substance Use Disorder treatment is able to easily get it. At EK Recovery Solutions, we re-purpose ambulances into mobile, HIPAA compliant telehealth booths. We contract directly with local recovery agencies that are willing to offer recovery treatment via video chat. Then, our mobile units visit each patient to connect the telehealth session. Once the telehealth appointment is finished the mobile unit provides any necessary in-person services that the telemed doctor requires(drug screen, vitals check, etc). The final result is remote recovery treatment through secure video chat that's comprehensive, and of the same quality as one would expect if they physically visited a recovery practice. With this initiative, high caliber recovery care is available for anyone regardless of what barriers might be preventing them from attending regular treatment (geographical location, lack of transportation, lack of childcare, etc).
So far, I've submitted funding proposals to Maine's Office of Behavioral Health and the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services. I've also been in touch with the governor's opioid response task force, as well as the Center for Medicaid/Medicare Services. Although my model has been well received by all of the above parties, the funding required for a program like this is substantial and difficult to acquire.
I've done as much as I can by myself. So far, I've built out the company, and almost completed my first unit. So, now I'm reaching out to anyone that's been affected by this scourge; anyone that recognizes the amount of good this model could do. I need your help to piece the rest of this together.
My next steps are in the licensing and implementation departments. I need to pay for certification with the board of licensing. I also need to pay for my urine screen certification. The final component to finish the first unit is an omni-directional antenna for mobile internet that can support video-chat; that item alone is several thousand dollars. Perhaps most importantly, I need to be able to pay the necessary legal fees needed to set up this very complicated model so that I'm fully compliant with the overly complicated laws behind addiction treatment, as it relates to telehealth. If I can reach my financial goal, I will be able to tie any loose ends so I can launch and begin helping folks struggling with addiction.
This project is extremely important to me. When I was 25, I never thought I'd live to see my 30th birthday; much less build a family. This June I'll be 7 years clean from heroin. I'm now 33 with two beautiful baby boys, and an incredibly supportive wife. I've come a long way since the methadone clinic. I am extremely lucky that I was somehow able to navigate the maze of addiction treatment. It was not easy for me, and it's not easy for anyone else. For every "success story" there's twenty stories of those who weren't able to successfully recovery from Substance Use Disorder. Hopefully, with your help, I can start something that has the ability to truly help so many people that are stuck in the grip of addiction. I wish something like this had been around for me 7 years ago. I have many friends who have lost their lives battling opioid addiction. I'll never see them again. I can't help but to think that if I had launched this program a decade ago, then perhaps they would still be alive. A decade ago, I was still battling my worst demons. I'm in a better place now, and I know this is my chance to do my part to ensure that anyone who wants recovery care can easily get it. This model presents the opportunity to bring aid to a lot of people, the only thing holding me back is lack of funding. My biggest fear is that I'm fiscally unable to launch this program and it dies before it's had a chance to help anyone. Drug addiction knows no prejudice; nobody is exempt. It's vital that we start doing whatever it takes to make recovery treatment as available as the drugs that make that treatment necessary. Thanks for your time.
-John
Organizer
John Ruppert
Organizer
Portland, ME