bMagazine: Bringing addiction out of the shadows
May 1, 2017
More than 20 million Americans over the age of 12 suffer from addiction. The rate of death from drug overdoses has tripled over the past 20 years, and the financial toll from addiction is staggering: more than $400 billion annually in healthcare costs and lost productivity.
A mere 7 percent of first-time clients of treatment programs get well, and the average addiction sufferer undergoes treatment between four and seven times. Clearly, traditional treatment models and the status quo aren’t enough.
Face It TOGETHER, a nonprofit based in Sioux Falls, S.D., aims to change that. A recipient of the 2014 Bush Prize for Community Innovation and a 2016 Bush Community Innovation Grant, the organization works across a wide range of community sectors — including businesses, faith congregations, healthcare service providers and more. It aims to transform the way addiction is perceived and addressed, using an innovative combination of data, cross-sector collaboration, chronic disease treatment models and community education.
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