Health and Fitness : Leadership Musings

Several times a week someone in the community takes me aside and asks me about treatment for substance use disorder or gambling abuse. It is a stark reminder that these health issue affects someone in almost every family. It is so important that we talk about this within our families and not give up on the individual who may have challenged the family with their behaviors. This is why it is exciting to see a known source like Sesame Street to educate families about available help. It makes treatment and long-term support for most of our patients feel ok or normal--as it should be. That support can include families developing an understanding of the disease and how treatment and recovery works.

To provide perspective, I recently had a conversation with a physician's assistant who was at a conference. They were having a discussion about substance use disorder (SUD) and medication-assisted treatment. One nurse in the room shared that, from her perspective, it was no different from her taking care of diabetes. "I don't choose to have the disease. My body works differently than it should and it is the same for someone with an SUD. When we are treating this patient we are providing what they need, whether it is counseling or medication to help their body and brain manage the illness." It was refreshing to hear a medical professional describe so clearly what we do every day to provide help so that people can be successful in addressing these issues.

If you would like to know more about the work we do, we invite you for a tour of our main campus in Cedar Rapids or any of our offices and residential locations. Please contact me with ideas, feedback and thoughts on how we can do more to work together at jarcher-simons@asac.us or 319-390-4611 x123.

Jeanette Archer-Simons