Many people in recovery will tell you: overcoming your addiction might be the hardest thing you’ll ever do. The difficulty of finding effective treatment covered by your insurance too often makes the road to recovery even more daunting. 

“When my son Brian needed addiction treatment, my family agonized trying to find him the right care. It was impossible to know who to trust,” says Gary Mendell.

Gary lived the issues that can prevent people looking for help from finding the right help. That’s why he founded Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in America. 

A centerpiece of Shatterproof’s work is ATLAS (Addiction Treatment Locator, Assessment, and Standards Platform), a free, confidential online tool that provides user-friendly information about the evidence-based treatment programs available nearby.  With funding from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, ATLAS is now available in New Jersey.

Treatment you can trust

“ATLAS is a sea change in the addiction world,” Gary says, “It will give those in need and their families the transparent and trustworthy information my family never had and will help put more people on the path to recovery.” 

Here’s how ATLAS works: people with substance use disorders or their loved ones can log in to access an intuitive dashboard, allowing them to search for and compare participating treatment programs using criteria such as location, services offered and insurance coverage.

People ready to accept treatment can take the Addiction Treatment Needs Assessment, created in collaboration with the American Society of Addiction Medicine and OpenBeds, to help them understand the appropriate level of care they need.

Vetted and verified

ATLAS evaluates addiction treatment programs’ use of best practices and makes this information available on its platform. Best practices are based on the Shatterproof National Principles of Care, which are evidence-based standards derived from the Surgeon General’s Report on Addiction, using data gathered through a combination of validated sources.

Additionally, anyone who has received treatment from a facility in New Jersey can visit www.TreatmentATLAS.org to search for the facility and leave a patient review. 

“Horizon is thrilled to be able to provide the funding needed to bring Shatterproof’s ATLAS to New Jersey,” said Suzanne Kunis, Vice President of Behavioral Health for Horizon. “No one in crisis, dealing with substance use disorders—or worse, an overdose—should have to hope they guess right to find good care.”

Progress is promising. Following an extended submission period in November 2022, a little more than 50% (~450) of NJ SUD facilities had submitted their Treatment Facility Surveys to participate in the ATLAS Platform. Facilities that do not submit these surveys will no longer be listed in the initial search results as Shatterproof cannot verify their quality of services and success metrics.

A game-changer for families and providers alike

For those in need of care and their families, Shatterproof is a game-changer—and it’s a major boon for their health care providers as well. “Not every physician is familiar with the best possible treatment facilities in their area, and they might not feel equipped to make a referral without doing research,” says Suzanne. “With ATLAS, there’s a resource at their disposal they can trust, empowering them to give the best possible guidance to their patients.”

ATLAS is accessible in English and Spanish.

Horizon Health News is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. ATLAS® is a registered trademark of Shatterproof.