CHESS Health Introduces New Digital Solution to Help Prevent the Onset of Substance Use Disorder

ePrevention Improves Upon the Clinical Practice or SBIRT – Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment

Rochester, New York, July 28, 2022 – CHESS Health, the leading provider of evidence-based digital health solutions addressing the individual and societal crisis of substance use disorder (SUD), today announced the newest solution within its digital platform. The ePrevention solution aims to reduce the onset of SUD by enhancing the capabilities of healthcare providers and community organizations to identify at-risk individuals and when appropriate, offer evidence-based interventions. It complements the existing solutions available through CHESS Health’s clinically proven platform, which include eIntervention and eRecovery.

“Prevention is an essential component in combatting the substance use disorder crisis,” said Hans Morefield, Chief Executive Officer, CHESS Health. “Our new ePrevention solution makes screening for SUD – including use of alcohol, marijuana, and other substances – more accessible and more actionable. It speaks to the common issues prevalent in current efforts, which include too few individuals being screened for substance use or ineffective screening from reluctance to discuss substance use. In addition to improving screening effectiveness, we improve the resulting brief intervention and referral process, which has also always been difficult for clinicians to do.” 

The CHESS Health ePrevention solution improves upon the clinical practice of SBIRT―Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment―by applying online screening that leads to better results, delivers more effective interventions, and facilitates closed-loop referrals to treatment. This solution can be offered through schools, employers, clinics, mobile response teams, healthcare provider websites, and more.

Screenings can be conducted anonymously, and individuals are offered a series of personalized, evidence-based interventions designed to motivate individuals to reduce their substance use. Interventions are triggered by specific rules and can range from feedback and comparative norms, to relevant reading content, to downloading the Connections app from CHESS Health, to the option to talk with a peer recovery specialist who has lived experience.  

When an individual’s responses indicate they would benefit from a clinical evaluation or treatment, ePrevention can seamlessly facilitate referrals to a provider through CHESS Health’s eIntervention solution. Treatment providers can even embed ePrevention screeners within their own websites and receive resulting self-referrals electronically.

With ePrevention, providers, organizations, and communities can also offer education and support to the families of individuals 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.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 10% of the U.S. population ― 23.5 million adults (age 18 and older) ― are in recovery from SUD. The COVID pandemic has further complicated the SUD crisis, with nearly one in four adults (age 18 to 24) in the U.S starting or increasing substance use during this time.  Over sixty million Americans either drank an excessive amount of alcohol once in the past 30 days or used illicit substances, including marijuana, in the last year, making them at higher risk for SUD.

“The availability of ePrevention is the culmination of a multi-year vision,” said Hans Morefield. “Our initial focus at CHESS Health was helping individuals to achieve and sustain their recovery, supported by our eRecovery solution. We recognized a few years ago we could do more to address the nation’s addiction crisis by also helping to get more individuals connected to treatment (through our eIntervention solution) and to even reduce the onset of SUD through the innovative use of technology for SBIRT (ePrevention). This is a proud day for everyone at CHESS Health.”

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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. The CHESS Health platform spans the entire lifecycle of SUD management―from prevention and intervention to treatment and recovery―and is clinically proven to achieve higher abstinence rates, reduce the risk of relapse, and lower the overall cost of treatment for SUD. 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.

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