HealthReach partners with Lunder-Dineen, Time to Ask program

Waterville – Connie Coggins, HealthReach President & CEO, is happy to announce a new partnership with the Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine (Lunder-Dineen), an initiative of the Slavin Academy at Massachusetts General Hospital and their Time to Ask program. Time to Ask is an educational program transforming conversations around alcohol use. This program teaches interprofessional teams in primary care to intervene early and routinely with patients so they can make informed decisions about alcohol consumption.

Many people consume alcohol, yet know little about specific risks and impacts on their bodies. Primary care practices are uniquely situated to identify patients who are at risk for unhealthy drinking. By empowering HealthReach’s healthcare teams with the necessary education, skills, and onsite practice support that Time to Ask provides, clinicians and staff alike can confidently engage with patients and address alcohol use before patients are at a greater risk of developing a disorder.

Coggins shares, “We are pleased to be working with Lunder-Dineen in implementing their Time to Ask program. Supporting our staff with education and workflows to identify and address unhealthy alcohol use is a critical element in our Substance Use Disorder Learning Collaborative.“

This partnership is a part of HealthReach initiatives in 2024 and beyond to broaden access to Substance Use Disorder services and education, and to decrease barriers that prevent patients from getting the help that they need.

HealthReach Community Health Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center consisting of twelve community health centers located across Central and Western Maine. Dedicated clinicians deliver high-quality healthcare – inclusive of behavioral health, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric services – to residents from 9 of Maine’s 16 counties. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers. An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs – including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.

A private non-profit with a 49-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants, and by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of an award totaling $4,815,606 with 82.2% financed by non-governmental sources.

The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S. Government.