I sold my partnership in my business to focus on mental illness and addiction advocacy full time. Left a successful career to work at a free job. Why?
Virginia ranks 39th for mental health care. Even worse, 49th for treatment of major depression for those 18 and under. That is utterly pathetic. If I want it to change, I have to do something about it. So I am. My son Charles is not just a statistic. He was my son and he died by suicide as a result of addiction and depression.
With a grant, the soonest we’d be able to implement Preventure would probably be 2018–a YEAR from now. The most promising teen drug and alcohol prevention program to date is here in our state at VCU Drug and Alcohol Institute with Dr. Vassileva and her staff, we are in the center of the most devastating addiction crisis ever with our kids dying all around us and we can’t find the money to get this done sooner?
Through Beacon Tree Foundation and in partnership with VCU Institute of Drug & Alcohol Studies we can get the program implemented. We just need funding.
There is money from the federal government for this public health crisis. If anyone wants this to happen, we need to tweet the governor, the attorney general and get this party started! I need press and TV coverage, tweets, shares, comments, likes. Pick up a copy of Richmond Family Magazine and share the article! If you have a connection, share the article below anywhere and everywhere. Thank you!
Can Addiction be Prevented? New program for teens
Anne Moss, it sucks for those of us over 18 too! I keep losing doctors – my last psychiatrist left the field and I went to 10 DOCTORS with no luck. No new patients, no insurance, not my insurance, no patients over 55 (!), I finally gave up and asked my GP if he could prescribe the small amount I take. There are simply not enough doctors to service the area. I remember it being horrendous for a teen.
It’s a problem. Not enough psychiatrists. I know our area has been working on a triage plan by training PCPs to handle certain types of cases, referring out more dual diagnoses and serious mental illness to the psychiatrists. There are simply not enough going into the field.
This is good news. Thank you for bringing this to a place where we can all feel that we are part of the fight.
So well said. So succinct. “Thank you for bringing this to a place where we can all feel that we are part of the fight”