New app provides free treatment for substance abuse

UT Health San Antonio is partnering with a Seattle-based health care technology company to provide free counseling services and support groups through a mobile app for people with substance use disorders, including those who are underinsured and uninsured.

Weconnect Health Management created the app that offers daily mobile support meetings, have access to one-on-one peer counseling and earn rewards through tracking and completing self-care activities, such as going to the doctor or therapy.

The program is free to anyone in the state of Texas and is funded with federal money. It’s run through a UT Health San Antonio program called Be Well Texas, which is funded by the state to address substance abuse disorders.

“Substance misuse doesn’t care where you work, what you do or what insurance you have,” said Daniela Tudor, CEO and cofounder of Weconnect Health Management.

“We need to make the best solutions and services available to people in a way that works for them.”

It’s important to make sure these programs are accessible to the uninsured because Texas remains the state with the highest uninsured rate in the nation and the most uninsured residents, Tudor said.

About 1 in 6 Texans are without health insurance, according to census data.

Dr. Jennifer Potter, the executive director of Be Well Texas, said it’s necessary to expand access to treatment because more people are struggling with substance abuse as a result of the pandemic.

Drug overdose deaths have reached a historic high during the pandemic.

More than 104,000 Americans died due to a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending in September 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We’re in a time in the United States where we’re actually seeing the rates of substance use go up, even as we are expending more and more resources to address it,” Potter said. “And that is largely attributable to the consequences of the pandemic.”

As emergency orders were lifted, more people have returned to in-person health care for services pertaining to physical health, Potter said. But some patients prefer to use telehealth for substance abuse treatment because of its convenience.

Between when a patient wakes up until they go to their appointment, there are a lot of opportunities to give up on recovery, Potter said. But with an app, they are able to log in whenever it is convenient. “You’re helping that person get to the care that much faster,” Potter said.

Positive reinforcement can also help with retention, Tudor said. When patients attend their programs, they earn “incentives” such as gift cards they can use for food, transportation and household items.

This model has proved successful in other markets, Tudor said.

A six-month 2019 study of 190 Pennsylvania Medicaid members showed that use of the Weconnect app was associated with a 35 percent higher adherence in filling medication-assisted treatment prescriptions and a 76 percent higher rate of primary care provider engagement.

“I think what we’ve seen is that digital access and telehealth works,” Tudor said. “And it’s here to stay.”