Watch a video, read more about the series and available treatment groups. Related story: Drug problem meant isolation. Faith communities have known there were plenty of people trapped in addiction sitting in the pews, afraid to suffer the shame that would come from sharing their problems. But some places of worship are now offering or hosting recovery programs, minimizing the stigma. "People in the church are just as broken as people who are not in the church, and a lot of times we are good at masking that and faking it," said Micah Hobbs, who oversees the Celebrate Recovery ministry at Memorial Road Church of Christ. "But the reality is that we are all broken and are in need of healing and hope, encouragement and support." While Celebrate Recovery programs have started in a variety of Christian churches, many houses of faith have long been supporters of 12-step recovery programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Some faith groups have developed programs to teach clergy and laity about addiction and treatment. Annette Harper directs addiction ministries for the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church, which offers an education program and support group. The church started its Summer School on Chemical Dependency … Continue reading →

Primary Care Providers, Health Departments, Behavioral Health Providers and Hospitals Join Forces in Community-based Chronic Pain Initiative Raleigh, North Carolina (PRWEB) March 14, 2012 The sheer volume of the problem is staggering: According to the CDC, enough prescription painkillers were prescribed in 2010 to medicate every American adult around-the-clock for an entire month. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine suggests that the U.S may be spending as much as $635 billion annually to treat chronic pain and that long-term pain impacts more patients in the U.S. than heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined. In an unfortunate corollary, this flood of narcotics is driving an epidemic of prescription drug overdoses. Nationally, such deaths rose five-fold between 1990 and 2007. This loss of life has had a devastating impact on families all across our state. And even when problems arent fatal, the inappropriate use of pain medications significantly impacts the entire community. To address this public health challenge, a broad coalition of stakeholders has launched the Chronic Pain Initiative. This expansive partnership includes Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC), Project Lazarus, the North Carolina Hospital Association (NCHA), the North Carolina College of Emergency Physicians, local hospitals and emergency departments, local … Continue reading →

By Caitlin Keating, reporter Claudio Gonzalez Laporte FORTUNE -- The United States has always had a complicated relationship with Mexico. We receive about 80% of the country's exports, we debate over how to handle Mexican immigrants who make up an increasingly important part of our workforce, and we travel to our southern neighbor's pristine beaches for winter vacations. It became more complicated last month, when the Department of State issued a travel warning about the security situation in Mexico. For decades, the country has been mired in crime, but the drug war has intensified there in the past year. Millions of U.S citizens safely visit Mexico each year, but the U.S. government is sounding alarms on the number of Americans murdered in Mexico recently: 120 U.S. visitors were killed there in 2011, up from 35 in 2007. So what is it like to do business there today? Claudio X. Gonzalez Laporte is the Chairman of Kimberly-Clark de Mexico, a subsidiary of Kimberly Clark (KMB) that's headquartered in Mexico City. The company sells everything from toiletries to hand towels and infant care. Gonzalez spoke with Fortune about the state of affairs in Mexico, the country's dependency on the United States, and … Continue reading →