Around Town
Q&A: Silver Hill Launches Outpatient Opioid Addiction Program
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Here’s a startling statistic from Dr. John Douglas, clinical director at New Canaan-based psychiatric hospital Silver Hill: Without professional treatment, the relapse rate people addicted to opioids is 90 percent. New Canaan, like every other community in the region, has seen a sharp rise in heroin use in recent years, including among youth. State officials report that opioid-related deaths increased from 490 in 2013 to 558 in 2014. As Douglas tells us in a back-and-forth that’s printed in full below, insurance companies are moving in the direction of not covering inpatient treatment for people who are addicted to heroin or pain pills. To meet the need, Silver Hill is launching a new Outpatient Opioid Addiction Program that will be covered by most insurance plans.