A new report released today by the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership examines how legal services delivered alongside medical and behavioral health services can help support successful recovery from substance use disorders. Click here to download the full report.
The current opioid epidemic is a public health crisis, devastating urban, suburban, and rural communities across the United States. Alongside Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs, which combine behavioral therapy with the careful use of milder opiates to prevent withdrawal symptoms, there is an increased focus among policymakers and health care providers on how social supports and services help support people in recovery. This report looks at ways that medical-legal partnerships (MLP) support the four evidenced-based areas–identified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration–that are crucial to managing life in recovery: health, home, purpose, and community. It highlights case studies of individuals in recovery who were aided by MLPÂ services, and looks at how existing recovery-based MLP programs in Ohio, Indiana, and Nevada operate.