Last updated: August 14, 2024
North Carolina launches a pioneering problem gambling treatment program in collaboration with Birches Health, ECU’s GRPI, and NCDHHS. This initiative aims to provide metrics-based treatment via telehealth, address gambling disorders and associated behavioral health issues with funding support for uninsured individuals, and conduct specialized research to enhance counseling services.
The informed purpose of the new pilot initiative recently deployed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is to tackle problem gambling.
The Gambling Research and Policy Initiative (GRPI) at Eastern Carolina University, Birches Health, and the NCDHHS Problem Gambling Program all fund this effort. These formations ensure that North Carolinians struggling with gambling problems can find comprehensive service and treatment options.
Among the program’s slots is the provision of metrics-based treatment of gambling disorders, which is available through the North Carolina Gambling Hotline. This means that Birches Health will attend to those who need help with behavioral health issues related to gambling.
Also, the NCDHHS Problem Gambling Program provides problem gambling services, and the GRPI is exploring studies to enhance the evidence base and recognition of gambling-related disorders.
This collaboration aims to expand the number of available treatment and recovery services for problem gambling in North Carolina many times over.
To offer specialized care to North Carolina residents seeking assistance with gambling-related behavioral health issues, Birches Health has partnered with the Gambling Research and Policy Initiative (GRPI) at Eastern Carolina University and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).
Birches Health will provide virtual therapy sessions led by licensed clinical providers via an integrated clinical program. Birches Health, a well-known American provider of treatment for gambling disorders, is dedicated to encouraging responsible gambling across the country.
In an interview with PlayUSA, Birches Health’s CEO and founder, Elliott Rapaport, outlined the company’s strategy, stressing the use of online learning tools and professional behavioral health specialists’ treatment.
Rapaport was enthusiastic about the project and commended ECU GRPI and NCDHHS for their partnership in providing clinical treatment based on metrics that are customized to each patient’s needs and any coexisting conditions.
He reiterated the urgent need for more thorough research on gambling disorders in the United States and expressed hope that the program will have a national impact on future best practices.
Due to funding for those who are underinsured or uninsured, the NCDHHS Problem Gambling Program will guarantee that there are no financial obstacles to services.
According to Problem Gambling Administrator Amanda Winters, the NCDHHS is thrilled to assist its partners at the GRPI and Birches Health in launching the telehealth treatment pilot program. These efforts are “crucial to ensuring” that citizens of North Carolina have access to the “highest quality treatment and services.”
Eastern Carolina University’s (ECU) Gambling Research and Policy Initiative (GRPI) intends to look into the possibility of tailoring counseling services to different identities. Furthermore, the goal of GRPI is to investigate more general problems that people face than just the negative effects of gambling, such as depression, drug misuse, and PTSD.
In a press release, GRPI Director Dr. Michelle L. Malkin emphasized the significance of using a comprehensive strategy to support clients who suffer from gambling disorders.
She underlined that being aware of each person’s unique needs can greatly improve recovery results and lower unfavorable effects, such as the higher suicide rates seen in people with gambling disorders.
To provide the best possible care, Malkin emphasized the importance of accurate outcome measurement and routine screenings for gambling behaviors and related conditions.
Based on information from 195 respondents, Malkin and Dr. Michele Stacey recently co-authored a study titled “Gender Differences in Gambling-Related Harms and Gambling-Motivated Crime,” which showed that gender had little bearing on experiences about gambling-related crimes.
With sports betting set to debut in March, GRPI initiated a research program in November that centered on gambling trends in North Carolina.
