Aetna has taken the decision to link Unite Us, which is a social care coordination platform with its Guardian Angel program for members who have suffered from an opioid overdose.

The insurer is owned by CVS Health and will introduce this joint effort first in North Carolina as per the announcement it made this week. It has decided to use the Unite Us platform through which the care managers will be able to more effectively link members with social supports and other nonclinical options to help recovery, like housing and healthy food.

Addressing social needs can lead to a better path to recovery according to Daniel Knecht, M.D., vice president of health strategy and innovation at CVS.

Knecht said that they can recognize whether a person able to successfully fight addiction isn’t solely determined by the medical treatment he/she receives.

The case managers will be a part of the NCCARE360 network. It is a shared network of health and human services workers that is expected to be available statewide in North Carolina till the end of 2020. CVS has mentioned that participating in this network will further progress towards the goal of reaching a person-and community-centered solution to the challenge of opioid addiction.

The Guardian Angel program was launched by Aetna in 2018. Since then case managers have been able to connect with nearly 1,000 Aetna members and their families after an overdose. Members who have been contacted through this program are in the age range of 16 to 79 years, with a median age of 45, and live in every part of the U.S.

In addition to the opioid epidemic efforts in North Carolina, Aetna and Unite Us are also expanding into New Orleans and Tampa Bay, Florida in order to boost access to social services, which is a part of the CVS’ broader Destination: Health initiative.

These initiatives will concentrate on dual eligibles in these areas, as mentioned by CVS.