3 ways the Dayton VA is fighting the opioid crisis

Many in the Miami Valley, including veterans, have a perception that the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center is a place for older vets injured in combat. But the VA provides many services to veterans of all ages, including help with alcohol and drug addiction.

Here’s three programs you might not know about:

1.  Inpatient treatment

The Dayton VA has one of the largest inpatient mental health and addiction treatment facilities in the state with 99 beds. In the last year more than 520 patients were treated with medically assisted treatment for opioid use disorder at the VA.

2. Eliminating veteran homelessness

Many veterans who struggle with addiction have lost steady housing and need help finding a place to live and a job after treatment. In fiscal year 2018, the Dayton VA secured 225 HUD-VA Supportive Vouchers for veterans to use on housing costs and connected 155 veterans with employment.

3. Reducing opioid prescriptions

When a 2011 VA Health Systems study showed veterans were more likely to be prescribed opioids than non-veterans, the VA launched an opioid reduction initiative in 2012. Since then, 99 percent of VA facilities nationwide have decreased their prescribing rates, according to a 2018 VA report.

The Dayton VA went from 3,500 local veterans on opioids during fiscal year 2017 to 2,000 in fiscal year 2018.

You can read more about all the ways the VA is working prevent and treat addiction in the Miami Valley here: What is the Dayton VA doing to combat the opioid crisis?

And hear from veterans who are in recovery from addiction after treatment at the VA:

>> Army veteran and recovering addict: ‘The past will always catch up with you’

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