Offering Community Support to Promote Lifelong Recovery in Los Angeles and Our Southern California Communities

By Beth Andersen, Les Ybarra

Today, 9.5 million adults in the U.S. report having both a substance use disorder and a mental illness, with substance use disorders alone affecting over 20 million Americans aged 12 and over. Los Angeles County is not immune to these statistics. An estimated 1,482,000 county residents struggle with a substance use disorder and local accidental fentanyl overdose deaths increased from 109 in 2016 to 1910 in 2022. As local health officials continue to grapple with these realities, we are doing our part to address these startling statistics which drive our ongoing commitment to partner with local organizations who are trying to reverse this troubling trend and delivering solutions aimed at addressing an array of care and service options.

At Anthem, we have been serving Californians for more than 86 years and know a more personalized approach to improving health lies within communities, and it is our communities which hold the keys to making real progress. To meaningfully improve the health of our members and communities, we must take a broad, holistic view of health. This includes using data and resources to understand and address the physical, behavioral, and social drivers of health.

This month, during National Recovery Month, we continue to champion this holistic, whole-health approach, focusing on prevention and screening to early intervention and treatment for substance use and mental health disorders. To address the heighten demand for treatment and unmet needs in California, we have invested over $3.7 million in local community-based programs that support early and long-term intervention and bolster access to care. In Los Angeles, we are supporting and partnering with:

• Downtown Women’s Center, to provide harm reduction services to vulnerable women on skid row and increase access to counseling, therapy, and in and outpatient referrals and management through substance use counselors.
  
• Homeboy Industries, to provide critical mental health services, including substance abuse support, individual and group therapy, and classes for healthy relationships and maintaining a safe environment.
• LA Family Housing, to expand permanent supportive housing programming via Substance Use Specialists and provide on-site case management and deliver in-house treatment to help those in need improve their health and gain permanent stability.
• New Way of Life Re-Entry Project, to provide safe recovery housing for formerly incarcerated women in Los Angeles County.
• New Directions for Women Foundation, to provide family therapies, psychoeducational series, parenting classes, and childcare for the children living on campus with their mothers while they heal.

We continue to foster a longstanding and deep local presence across our California communities while focusing on community health and becoming a lifetime, trusted health partner. When we reimagine the health system, we create connections, remove barriers, advance health equity, and support health holistically. We encourage all Californians to join us in supporting those experiencing mental health challenges or facing addiction now, during National Recovery Month, and throughout the year.

Beth Andersen is President of Anthem Blue Cross Commercial Health Plans in California.

Les Ybarra is President Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal Health Plan.