Providence Treatment is excited to announce that our organization has been accepted as an Affiliate Member of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH). Dr. William J. Heran, Providence Treatment’s CEO, began his work in addiction and mental health in Honolulu, Hawaii, more than 35 years ago and is focused on continuing his work through outpatient treatment for professionals in Honolulu. We are happy that our application for membership in HAH has been accepted as we recognize and appreciate the benefits of the Association.
Partnering in Work
As our acceptance letter stated, we are now partnered with HAH in working toward a “financially strong and comprehensive healthcare system in Hawaii.” Along with the HAH, we will “advocate for a comprehensive and financially strong healthcare system that successfully responds to the diverse and changing health needs of all whom we serve.”
Dr. Heran understands the challenges of Hawaiians around mental health, trauma recovery, and substance use. His work at Providence Treatment in Hawaii is focused on facilitating spiritual growth and development for professionals in healthcare, the legal field, and the airline industry, who need help with their addiction and co-occurring mental illness.
The Leading Voice of Healthcare in Hawaii
Just as Dr. Heran has a long history with the people of Hawaii, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii has been “the leading voice of healthcare in Hawaii” since its inception in 1939. The association’s members, which are categorized into levels such as our Affiliate Membership, include 170 member organizations on 6 islands. Members include:
- Acute care hospitals
- Home health agencies
- Hospices
- Durable medical equipment suppliers
- Assisted living facilities
- Case management organizations
- Blood banks
- Dialysis facilities
- Ground ambulance services
- Organizations such as Providence Treatment, focused on addiction and mental health care.
HAH states that its primary focus is “working with healthcare executives and their 20,000 employees on vital industry issues such as advocacy (in DC and Hawaii), quality and reimbursement improvement, strategic education, emergency preparedness, public relations, shared savings and reducing costs.”
Given the unprecedented change in healthcare the US has experienced in the past year, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii is “committed to working with providers across the continuum of care toward a healthcare system that offers the best possible quality of care to the people of Hawaii.”
Affiliate Membership
As an affiliate member of HAH, Providence Treatment will have access to education and networking opportunities that will enable us to further our work in addiction and mental health for professionals in Hawaii. Affiliate memberships are approved, on application, for outpatient and health-related providers of community-based services such as ours, as well as medical clinics, referral services, and academic institutions that have an interest in the healthcare of Hawaiians.
As part of our membership, we will be able to secure member-only reports and data as well as studies and survey results reported in HAH and national affiliate publications. We will use this information and research to continue to provide evidence-based treatment for professionals such as physicians, lawyers, and pilots, at our facility in Hawaii.
Addiction and Mental Health in Hawaii
Native Hawaiian professionals may be more vulnerable to addiction and mental health issues than the general population. Our outpatient addiction treatment program is tailored to the needs of those individuals living in the state. We recognize that opioid addiction and co-occurring mental illness is a serious issue here as in the rest of the US.
There were 384 opioid overdoses recorded in the year from August 2017 to August 2018. Use of opioids is particularly dangerous, and potentially fatal, when combined with alcohol or other drugs. During this time period there were 180 opioid-related calls to the Hawaii Poison Hotline, 503 people admitted to a substance use treatment program, and 1,332 patients treated by emergency medical services (EMS) with Naloxone.
More recently, drug poisonings have surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of injury death in the state of Hawaii. Every year, drug poisonings are responsible for 155 deaths, on average, and 4,500 treatments in a hospital. Pharmaceutical opiates are known to be involved in at least 41% of the fatal drug poisonings and in 12%-20% of the nonfatal drug poisonings in the state each year.
Outpatient Addiction Treatment for Professionals in Hawaii
Providence Treatment now provides evidence-based addiction treatment and recovery services to professionals in Hawaii. Under the leadership of Dr. William J. Heran, who first began working in Honolulu in 1985, we offer assessments and treatments that may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EMDR and Exposure Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), based on your individualized needs.
To maintain everyone’s health and safety, we provide these services via telehealth, in accordance with CDC and WHO COVID-19 guidelines. Call us at (808) 445-6780 to get started on your addiction treatment in Hawaii.
