North Carolina Boosts Problem Gambling Resources with Birches Health Partnership
Birches Health founder Elliott Rapaport spoke with Katarina Vojvodic of PlayUSA about the new initiative in North Carolina between Birches, the NCDHHS Problem Gambling Program and ECU’s Gambling Research and Policy Initiative (“GRPI”). Rapaport provided additional color around the vision and goals for the program, while Vojvodic added some analysis and editorial insights.
Full Article:
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has launched a problem gambling treatment pilot program.
The responsible gambling entities involved in the initiative are:
The NCDHHS Problem Gambling Program
Eastern Carolina University’s (ECU) Gambling Research and Policy Initiative (GRPI)
Birches Health
The responsible gambling bodies joined forces to offer resources and treatment options to North Carolina gamblers.
Key takeaways
The pioneering initiative will offer metrics-based gambling disorder treatment and resources to all players reaching out to the North Carolina Gambling Hotline.
North Carolina individuals seeking help for gambling-related behavioral health problems will receive care from Birches Health.
The NCDHHS Problem Gambling Program will ensure there are no financial barriers to services, while the GRPI aims to conduct research.
Birches Health plays key role in NC responsible gambling resources
Birches Health will provide care to North Carolina residents seeking help for gambling-related behavioral health problems. An integrated clinical program will offer specialized virtual therapy from licensed clinical providers.
Birches Health is a leading clinical provider of gambling disorder treatment in the US. In a recent interview with PlayUSA, Birches Health CEO and founder Elliott Rapaport discussed the ways the company is helping to advocate responsible gambling across the nation.
Birches Health uses online educational and learning resources and treatment from licensed behavioral health specialists. Commenting on the initiative, Rapaport told PlayUSA:
“We are thrilled to launch this initiative with pioneering organizations like the ECU GRPI and NCDHHS Problem Gambling Program to help provide metrics-based clinical treatment with a tailored clinical program for different individuals and any comorbid problems that they may also be experiencing. There is a continued strong need for high-quality gambling disorder research in the US, and I am confident that this program will have a tangible impact on future best practices across the country.”
NCDHHS to offer funding for qualified individuals
The NCDHHS Problem Gambling Program will ensure no financial barriers to services, as it will provide funding for non-insured and underinsured individuals.
NCDHHS’s Problem Gambling Administrator Amanda Winters said the agency is excited to support its partners at the GRPI and Birches Health in launching the telehealth treatment pilot program. Winters emphasized that these initiatives are “crucial to ensuring” that North Carolina residents have access to the “highest quality treatment and services.”
GRPI to observe issues, conduct research on counseling services
The ECU’s GRPI plans to research how specialized counseling services should be adjusted for different identities. The GRPI would also observe issues individuals may be facing in addition to gambling-related harms, like depression, substance abuse, and PTSD.
Dr. Michelle L. Malkin, director of the GRPI, said in the news release:
“The more providers can identify the types of support different clients need based on a whole person approach, the better results we can have to getting clients to stay in recovery and reduce potential negative outcomes, such as the high suicide rate among those with gambling disorder.”
Malkin also emphasized that by measuring outcomes with scientific accuracy and regularly updated screenings of gambling behavior and comorbidities, individuals will be able to receive the most appropriate forms and types of treatment.
Last month, along with Dr. Michele Stacey, Malkin published a study titled “Gender Differences in Gambling-Related Harms and Gambling-Motivated Crime.” The survey data, consisting of 195 responses, suggests that gender has little effect on the experience of gambling-related crimes.
In November, Dr. Malkin and GRPI launched a new program to research gambling trends in North Carolina. The GRPI’s research reveal came just before the North Carolina sports betting launch in March.
