Most people face obstacle after obstacle at every step of recovery. They can’t find a trustworthy clinic that's the right fit for them. They have to call a long list of clinics to find an appointment, only to not hear back or be told that the next appointment is weeks away. They don’t get referrals to treatment when discussing their substance use with healthcare providers. They’re disconnected from their care team outside of appointments. They lose support after leaving treatment.
And this list barely scratches the surface. Yes, addiction to drugs can be deadly, but it’s made more deadly by barriers that actively work against people’s recovery.
Unlike other digital therapeutics, anyone can use our free recovery app at any time, even before accessing professional services. This is important for the millions of people who have identified their substance use as a problem but aren’t ready to commit to recovery. Educational content and a supportive peer community increase people’s readiness for recovery.
If someone decides to access professional support, they can use the directory of organizations to find groups close to them. Alternatively, if they discuss their substance use at a hospital, with a primary care provider, or with another community member, those individuals can use our closed-loop referral system to help people know where and when to go for support.
People can connect their account to an organization that uses Enhearten, which activates additional features in the recovery app. These features – which include secure messaging, remote patient monitoring, and collaborative treatment plans – focus on strengthening the relationship between care teams and participants as well as providing additional support outside of appointments. Even if someone doesn’t join a facility that uses Enhearten, they can still use the other research-backed features in the app, such as cognitive behavioral therapy-based lessons, a private calendar to manage recovery activities, and medication and appointment reminders.
Return to use (a.k.a. relapse) is often part of recovery, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of – when you’re working towards something difficult and important, it’s normal to not get there right away. People can continue to access all the same resources in the app during a return to use. If they need to switch organizations they're getting support from, they can disconnect their account from the previous provider and connect it to the new one. With the participant’s permission, the clinical information they sent through the app to the previous provider can be accessed by the new care team, carrying forward valuable context.
App users can access Enhearten’s resources and communities for as long as they want. They can also connect their account to community support organizations: recovery homes, nonprofits, therapists, and others. With a social support network that spans across the various areas that are important for staying healthy, people connected into Enhearten are in a stronger position to build the life they want for themselves.