S5 - E18.4 - The Future Of HOPE: Expanding the Support Community for Patients Who Have Harmed Their Bodies Through Alcohol Use Disorder

Surfing the MASH Tsunami

Sober Livers leaders Jenn Jones and Beth Lehman join Roger Green to discuss HOPE, their new support community for people who have harmed themselves through AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder). This conversation focuses on plans and hopes for the future.
Roger starts this conversation by sharing a story from his own experience about the pressure caregivers struggle with and asks how HOPE (Healing Others with Peers and Education) will address caregivers and their needs. Beth acknowledges that this need is legitimate and that caregivers for these people may need a program of their own. The group wrestled with this issue when considering their original offering, but decided the organization needed to meet the needs of people living with this situation before offering services to caregivers. Jenn elaborates that the reason not to include caregivers in the initial group population is that it may limit the items and issues that HOPE's core constituency is willing to discuss. She says that creating a parallel caregiver program will be a pivotal next step once the target group is up and running.

Next, Roger asks what else Sober Livers would like to implement over time to enhance the program. Jenn notes that the organization plans to create benchmarks and conduct qualitative and quantitative research to ensure that “this is an effective community that’s actually helping people.” They will share this data and a resulting strategic plan with HOPE’s WHAC (Whole Health Advisory Council) and prospective sponsors, including one healthcare products company that has already committed to a starter grant.

In practical terms, Jenn mentions starting a second meeting at a different time of day, possibly one more suitable for West Coast residents with jobs. They plan to recruit transplant centers to make information available so that appropriate patients will enroll and even make initial contact during first hospitalization. They would like to educate the people living with disease on options they might not have considered and scientific advances. At one point, Beth mentions a desire for in-person meetings in cities with major transplantation centers.
In terms of education, Jenn mentions liver perfusion and finding a living donor as two areas Sober LIvers would like to provide support.