With addiction and drugs like heroin grabbing headlines every day, the substance abuse treatment community is adapting to the growing need for services while navigating a number of challenges, from health care reform to a renewed focus on treatment outcomes.
Marvin Ventrell, executive director of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, spoke about the treatment community’s ongoing response to the national addiction health crisis as the keynote speaker Nov. 10 at The Rosecrance Forum in Rockford. The Forum aims to educate friends of Rosecrance about important trends in behavioral healthcare, the work that we do, and our plans for the future.
More than 140 community leaders, state and local officials, board members and Rosecrance supporters attended the third annual Forum. The event caps off Rosecrance’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2016 and shined a spotlight on an important topic that’s on the minds of many in the community, noted Rosecrance President/CEO Philip W. Eaton.
“We have all been impacted by changes in health care during the past several years, as employers, providers or consumers. But just as we have seen changes in elements of coverage, we are experiencing greater need for treatment of substance use disorders,” Eaton said. “As with any chronic medical condition, these are complex waters to navigate, often filled with unexpected challenges. As a provider of evidence-based treatment programs, we continue to share our message and have these conversations with audiences like this one today, in schools, and with individuals and families. It’s how we change and save lives.”
Ventrell joined NAATP as its executive director in 2015 and leads the group as it works to increase public awareness about addiction treatment, promotes federal policy that supports recovery, and advocates for the use of best practices in addiction treatment.
In his remarks, he spoke about addiction as a brain disease, how widespread use is and how marijuana legalization efforts are affecting substance use trends. Ventrell also complimented Rosecrance – a longtime NAATP member – on its comprehensive approach to addiction treatment.
“When I can say our membership is comprised of a base of centers such as Rosecrance, which for 100 years has worked on behavioral health and addiction care that’s based on best practices, experience and a values-based mission, it gives me hope in what we’re doing.”