President Trump’s Team Debuts New Addiction Treatment Website for Americans Fighting Opioid Addiction

• The website is FindTreatment.gov.
• The Trump administration consulted with a language expert, addicts, loved ones of addicts, and other individuals to develop the website.

Opioid addiction is an issue that millions of Americans face, and the resources are fairly limited. While some people go to rehab, there are a statistically high number of people that have to return to these programs repeatedly. There has been some research to indicate that compounds in the cannabis plant can help with these addictions, but President Donald Trump hasn’t exactly been welcoming to the legalization of this substance. Instead, new reports indicate that his administration has launched a new website for treatment options called FindTreatment.gov.

FindTreatment.gov is meant as a tactic in going after the current opioid crisis, and the administration already believes that there will be tens of millions of Americans that can get help from this website. Kellyanne Conway, the counselor of the president that is leading these efforts, stated that the goal is to provide a way for addicts to connect with treatment providers.

The obscure directory of the website offers information about 13,000 licensed treatment providers, which is maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The user-friendly search engine allows users to seek out the different types of treatment they want, along with searching by payment option or even if there is medication involved. The database can also be filtered by youth, veteran, and LGTB services.

Ultimately, the goal of the website is to act as an educational resource for individuals who need to heal from addiction, providing them and loved ones on information that will help with paying the cost of treatment. Conway remarked, “We know that the drug crisis is indiscriminate, so we want the response to be indiscriminate.”

Government coders were responsible for the development of the website, though it is managed by the White House. This “American-First design,” as the administration calls is, provides access to helpful information, but doesn’t break the federal budget. Conway explained the user-friendly interface, stating, “We designed it with human-centered principles in mind. We used real words for real people.” In doing so, the government hired a language expert to explain treatment options without stigmatizing phrases and words. The White House also consulted 300 users and conducted 60 interviews of individuals who have sought treatment for themselves or loved ones to create the most helpful atmosphere possible.

Going forward, the government is also working to integrate the website with the Department of Veterans Affairs, which should help to offer more resources for former service members that need support.