As recently as three weeks ago, the opioid epidemic was one of the largest public health crises facing America. With the onset of a global pandemic, public health has been thrust into a new spotlight, and attention has shifted to doing everything in our power to ‘flatten the curve’. Yet for many, addressing the behavioral health needs of ourselves, our families, and our communities remains critically important.

In a four-part series in the coming weeks, we will highlight key findings from one of OMNI’s behavioral health projects—an evaluation of the first year of Virginia’s State Opioid Response (SOR) grant.

Both mental health and substance use disorders are diseases that have biological, psychological, social, and spiritual components (Peters, Taylor, Lyketsos, & Chisolm, 2012). Treatments for mental health and substance use disorders encompass a spectrum of programs, therapies, and other strategies, each at varying intensities. A common theme of treatment for these disorders is that they should be delivered with empathy, without confrontation (MHA, 2017), and individuals should be treated with dignity and respect for their personhood (Marcovitz, 2019).