Cenpatico Blog

The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, The Big Book

Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States.*

Alcohol abuse plays a significant and direct role in five of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States: Heart Disease, Cancer, Stroke, Accidents and Diabetes. Alcohol abuse and dependence cost the U.S. an estimated $220 billion in treatment costs and productivity impact on our society; this is more than the costs associated with cancer or obesity. One survey published by The Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that the number of alcohol attributable deaths is about 75,000 + deaths per year which would make it, the sixth leading cause of death. Many studies have demonstrated that alcohol is involved in a majority of car accident deaths, homicides, sexual assaults, suicide, and domestic violence. Put it all together and the problem of alcohol abuse and dependence is staggering.

I could go on and on with mind numbing statistics, but the point here is that I think we seem to have lost our focus on this very important disease shared by 14 million Americans. I am an avid reader of periodicals and watch TV news and I am surprised at how little attention has been paid to alcohol awareness during this month. I did see one piece on CNN that followed the tired and worn path of whether alcoholism is a disease versus a moral defect of character (i.e., will power). If alcohol as a drug is responsible for more deaths and costs to our society then all the other drugs put together, why is this not making the headlines? I believe the answer is because alcohol is the only major drug of abuse which is legal.

The dirty secret in our county is that much of our drug policy and subsequent laws to make drugs illegal have little to do with concern about public safety. If you research public policy and the laws that made various substances illegal in this country, you will be shocked to see the laws put in place were more about either the association between drugs and stigmatized groups in our society, or some perceived threat to family values, our idealized view of the American way of life. For example, the movement that resulted in making marijuana illegal in the 1930’s was tied to the concern about immigration, i.e., the perception that Mexican immigrants were bringing the drug into our society. Marijuana use was also linked with African-American jazz musicians and this new form of music was considered a major threat to the youth of the country at that time.

I urge us all to rethink the war on drugs and to consider placing our efforts, money and focus on our true number one drug problem. I know it doesn’t make a very sexy story. It is no longer trendy, and our national celebrities have moved on to the newest diseases that capture the public imagination. Cenpatico and other managed behavioral health organizations (MBHO’s) need to make sure that we continue doing as much as we can to educate and help our providers consistently assess the impact of drinking on our consumers’ lives — recovery from mental illness is not possible in any case where someone is abusing alcohol. We need to do a better job at supporting the transfer of new treatment technologies based on evidenced based practices; many have yet to make it into most substance abuse treatment programs. For example, in spite of several medicines available that can now help those with alcoholism and other addictions recover, we still see these options rarely used. As MBHO’s, we also have an ongoing obligation to educate and support PCP’s in their ability to screen and talk with their patients about the effects of excessive drinking.

P.S. Some of you may have gotten the impression that I want go back to prohibition. No, that didn’t work then just like our current prohibition laws with drugs are not working now. I am in favor of toughening the consequences of drinking behavior. For example, I think we have done a good job on making the consequences more severe for driving under the influence.

So let’s get back to basics and focus on our number one drug problem: Alcohol

*Alcohol-Attributable Deaths and Years of Potential Live Lost–United States, 2001; The Journal of the American Medical Association, v.292, No. 23, December 15, 2004.

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Cenpatico is pleased to announce the awarding of a $25,000 grant by The Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare to Madison County Community Health Centers in Alexandria, Indiana. This grant will be used to support the development and implementation of a School Based Health Clinic, a model designed to address the effects of inaccessible primary healthcare for school aged children. This Clinic will specifically focus on conducting health assessments for all elementary, intermediate, and high school students in the Alexandria area.

Cenpatico’s parent company, Centene Corporation, established The Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare in 2004. This 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare in the United States.

Cenpatico, in partnership with Managed Health Services, supports the development and enhancement of School-Based Health Centers, and is actively working with Schools, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and Community Mental Health Centers across Indiana to build collaborative partnerships wherein the delivery of comprehensive integrated medical and behavioral health care services can be offered to school-aged children.

“We recognize health to be a cornerstone to a better education, and believe School-Based Health Centers are an important component to allowing all students the opportunity to grow up healthy, strong, and achieve their educational potential,” said Mark Fisher, Administrator of School Based Services in Indiana. “The Centene Foundation’s grant to Madison County Community Health Center demonstrates the type of support needed in our continued efforts to plan, develop, and enhance school-based health centers, so that accessible, comprehensive, and quality healthcare services are provided to Indiana’s school-aged children.”

The Madison County Community Health Centers, Inc. (MCCHC) was founded in 1999 with a mission to improve the quality of life in Madison County by providing quality, accessible healthcare for those who are experiencing a disparity because of their social, economic, race, age, or cultural status, especially the uninsured, underinsured and the working poor.

For more information about Centene and Cenpatico’s vested interest in the School-Based Healthcare Initiative, please contact Mark Fisher at 1-877-647-4848 ext. 20257 or mfisher@centene.com.

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By Linda J Weinberg – Cenpatico Arizona Policy Developer

We have all heard the expression, “it takes a village to raise a child.”  This is the same concept of behavioral health prevention -   Healthy communities build healthy families which helps us to raise healthy children.

In our prevention efforts, we work with members of the community to change norms, perceptions, policies and laws.  Similar steps are used when working to change communities as are used in treatment.

In treatment we determine readiness for change and motivate change.  We use a best practices model – motivational interviewing.  Using a strength-based approach we assess strengths, resources and needs, conduct psychosocial assessments, and collect previous treatment records or other pertinent information. We then develop a treatment plan with measurable goals, objectives, outcomes and time frames with the member.  This helps us to then assign tasks and implement an effective culturally appropriate treatment and support intervention plan with the individual.  We consistently update treatment plans as goals are attained and support is provided through community resources.

When working with communities we assess the community’s readiness for change using a best practices model.  We assess the community’s strengths, resources and needs through primary and secondary data collection.  We develop a plan with stakeholders with measurable goals, objectives, outcomes and time frames.  Tasks are assigned and culturally appropriate strategies are implemented by community members.  The process is continually evaluated.  Changes are made when indicated, successes are celebrated and slowly communities begin the change process.

Nationwide, many communities have introduced programs and initiatives aimed at reducing underage drinking.  It is crucial to provide this outreach and education to parents seeing as the majority of youth report they obtain alcohol from home.  Communities working towards this goal have employed unique approaches to increase awareness, educate parents, change behaviors and change norms and laws.  The SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework is the model being used in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of communities in all 50 states, District of Columbia and the territories.  Check to see what is occurring in your community.  Get involved.  Prevention Works!

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Cenpatico was recently featured in the March 2009 OPEN MINDS Newsletter.  Click to read OPEN MINDS’ Industry Profile Article on Cenpatico

OPEN MINDS is a national behavioral health and social service industry market research and management consulting firm.  Their mission is to provide executives in the field with the management knowledge and management tools necessary to create “best value” for consumers by facilitating the development of effective systems for financing and delivering service.  Founded in 1987, OPEN MINDS provides information, professional education, market research, and management consulting services to payers, regulators, professionals, service provider agencies, and advocacy organizations in the field.

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Cenpatico will attend and host an exhibit booth at the 39th National Mental Health and Addictions Conference and Expo on April 6-7, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas.  Hosted by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, this conference started in 1970 as a means to bring together professionals committed to freeing the mentally ill population who were warehoused in state institutions.  Over the past forty years, there have been significant improvements to the conditions and school of thought for treatment of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.  However, there this group of professionals remain just as committed to ensuring quality treatment and prevention for mental health and substance issues in our communities.

Featured speakers at this event will include David Gergen (Director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University, Editor-At-Large for U.S. News & World Report and CNN Senior Political Analyst), Christopher Kennedy Lawford (Actor, Motivator & Author), Nora Volkow (Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse), and Craig Newmark (Founder of Craigslist.org).

“We are thrilled to be participating in an event where over 2500 professionals and community leaders will come together to share advancements in the behavioral health industry and have open discussions about how we can improve treatment planning and prevention in future years,” said Sam Donaldson, PhD, President and CEO of Cenpatico.

For more information about the conference, please visit: http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/2009_overview

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