InterAct Unveils Addiction Support Platform to Address Opioid Crisis in Rural America Online Tools Extend Treatment, Connect & Support Rural Communities

InterAct LifeLine, today launched the InterAct Opioid Resource Platform, an addiction education knowledgebase designed to support Rural Health Initiatives at the federal, state and local level. The Opioid Resource Platform delivers patient and family support tools and telehealth resources to provide relief from the opioid crisis in rural communities where access to treatment is often unavailable. The InterAct platform complies with HIPAA regulations and ADA accessibility and is custom branded for state, regional, municipal or school districts, along with private treatment programs. Each portal is connected to a centralized online library populated with current educational resources on a wide range of drug-related topics, family support and wellness strategies. Community organizations can use the InterAct Opioid Resource Platform to connect and refer individuals to local resources, community contacts and virtual support groups.



“The Rural Opioid Crisis has brought increasing levels of addiction and overdose deaths to America’s heartland, while the resources needed to support families facing addiction rarely reaches beyond the urban centers,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO & founder of InterAct. “COVID-19 is only making this worse as overdoses increased 18% in March, 29% in April and 42% in May according to a July 2020 Washington Post article. The use of technology to provide more services to people suffering with the disease of addiction, in both urban and rural areas has been glaringly absent. The InterAct Opioid Resource Platform can be rolled out and managed by federal, state or county organizations who can direct and focus the content and resources available at every level.”



In addition to parent and family educational content and access to localized services, the InterAct Opioid Resource Platform interfaces with Medicaid/Medicare supported telehealth services for online psychiatric and psychological counseling. Professionally moderated group sessions are available online to provide expanded support to rural communities when geography, mobility or personal presence is restricted. Monitored regional public forums let users ask questions and receive feedback from their peers or professionals. Portals can also provide fund raising tools and sponsorship opportunities to make them financially self-sufficient.



“Rural America continues to take the brunt of the opioid crisis, with minimal access to resources and services, coupled with out of control addiction rates,” added Bradfield. “Families bear the burden of trying to support an adolescent or adult family member facing addiction, but they are the last to receive any education or counseling. Fighting COVID has diverted funding and public attention away from the Opioid Crisis, while rural America continues to address this decade-long addiction pandemic. The Opioid Crisis will still be here when COVID is contained, and the death toll will continue to mount.”



According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Rates of drug overdose deaths are rising in rural areas, surpassing rates in urban areas. Although the percentage of people reporting illicit drug use is lower in rural areas, the effects of use appear to be higher. In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses, making it a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. Of those deaths, almost 68% involved a prescription or illicit opioid.

About InterAct LifeLine Founded in 2019 by Carolyn Bradfield following the overdose death of her daughter, InterAct is a technology telehealth platform delivering education and content on addiction and wellness strategies to promote recovery, connections to community through discussion forums and virtual support groups, and continuous outreach to its members. InterAct’s portal technology is integrated with a HIPAA compliant mobile platform offering applications to families to engage individuals, organize their schedule with reminders and check ins, send secure messages and monitors vital signs through wearables to detect risk for overdose. InterAct’s technology produces detailed data used for treatment program outcomes studies.



For information visit www.interactlifeline.com, info@interactlifeline.com or call 866-274-7539.

InterAct LifeLine is a wholly owned subsidiary of Convey Holdings