SANTA FE, New Mexico, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) announced today that it partnered with CHESS Health to launch ePrevention, a screening tool that can help identify high-risk substance use and prompt healthcare providers and community organizations to respond to and refer at-risk individuals to supports and services to prevent the development of substance use disorder (SUD). This approach follows an evidence-based protocol for SUD prevention and recovery known as Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT).  

HSD offers ePrevention to healthcare providers so they can conduct online screening for high-risk substance use for their patients. The screening includes use of alcohol, marijuana, and other substances.  

Screenings can be conducted anonymously, and individuals are offered a series of personalized interventions designed to help reduce substance use. Interventions range from providing feedback to patients regarding their own patterns of substance use to providing the Connections app to talk with a recovery peer who has experienced substance use disorder.    

“The ePrevention screening tool enables us to support New Mexico’s communities in proactively combating the crisis of substance use disorder — so we can detect problematic substance use before it develops into a disorder,” said Neal Bowen, Ph.D., HSD’s Director of Behavioral Health Services.  

When a person’s responses indicate they would benefit from a clinical evaluation or treatment, ePrevention can seamlessly facilitate referrals to a behavioral healthcare provider. Healthcare providers, organizations, and communities can also offer education and support to the families of community members struggling with substance use disorder. Family members are guided through a questionnaire regarding their loved one’s use of substances and readiness for change, and then receive feedback, education, and local resources―including referrals―to help them help their loved one.  

HSD partnered with CHESS Health in 2022 to launch the Connections app, providing peer support for community members in treatment and recovery for substance use disorder. The app is part of the Connections for Recovery Initiative, which equips New Mexico’s behavioral health and primary care providers with an additional tool to support people battling opioid, alcohol, or other substance use disorders.  

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About the New Mexico Human Services Department 

We talk, interpret and smile in all languages.  We provide written information to our customers in both English and Spanish and interpretation services are available in 58 languages through our provider, CTS Language Link. For our hearing, and speech impaired customers, we utilize Relay New Mexico, a free 24-hour service that ensures equal communication access via the telephone to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled.  

The Human Services Department provides services and benefits to 1,077,502 New Mexicans through several programs including: the Medicaid Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Support Program, and several Behavioral Health Services.  

 About CHESS Health  

CHESS Health is the leading provider of evidence-based digital health solutions addressing the individual and societal crisis of substance use disorder (SUD). Solutions are offered in partnership with healthcare providers, community organizations, state and local government, and health plans. CHESS Health solutions span the entire lifecycle of SUD management―from prevention and intervention to treatment and recovery―and are proven to help more individuals enter treatment, improve patient retention, reduce the risk of relapse, and lower the overall cost of care. Through CHESS Health’s current partnerships, statewide initiatives have been implemented across New Mexico, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. For more information, visit www.chess.health.  

Alissa Kaplan Michaels
CHESS Health
(212) 864-5374
alissa@albertcommunications.com

Marina I Piña
New Mexico Human Services Department
(505) 670-3264
marina.pina@hsd.nm.gov