August 23, 2023 • 24 mins
Amanda Cope is the founder and Chief Operating Officer of Positive Recovery Solutions, a mobile clinic offering approved treatments and counseling for addiction. With over 17 years of sobriety, Amanda's personal journey of overcoming addiction drives her mission to help others on their path to recovery. Through her organization, she has provided support to thousands of individuals and believes in the power of hope, self-worth and community. Amanda's story serves as an inspiration, demonstrating that recovery is possible and that a transformed life is within reach for anyone struggling with addiction.
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(00:00):
This week on the Art of Improvement, I'll be speaking with Amanda Cope.
She is the founder and chief operatingofficer of Positive Recovery Solutions. That's a
mobile clinic offering approved treatments and counselingfor addiction. With over seventeen years of
sobriety, You're going to want tohear Amanda story my conversation with her next
on the Art of Improvement. Thankyou so much for joining us today.
(00:28):
My guest is Amanda Cope. Sheis the founder and chief operating officer at
Positive Recovery Solutions. Hi Amanda,Hi, THI for having me today.
Absolutely, First, before I askyou a zillion questions about you, I
want to ask what is Positive RecoverySolutions. So, Positive Recovery Solutions is
(00:49):
a company that started in two thousandand fifteen. And what we do is
we were the first ever mobile vivitualservices in the country. So we the
medical management of the medication Vivatral andwe bring services directly to where patients are.
So what is Vivatral. You've gotto tell me that, Oh okay,
(01:10):
So, Vivatral is a game changer. Vivatral is a once monthly long
acting extended release now truck Zone.So it's an injectible that goes directly into
the muscle. And what it doesis it releases now trek zone every day
for thirty six days. And whatnow truck Zone does as it pertains to
alcohol abuse or opiate abuse, isit blocks the ability to successfully use those
(01:37):
two substances. So it is consideredrelapse prevention. There's nothing habit forming about
vivatral. There's nothing that you couldget hooked on. And the most exciting
thing about that medication is the factthat it takes away our number one reason
for relapse, which is our craving. So when you use this specific medication
(01:57):
in conjunction with behavioral health, patientsfind a much higher likelihood of supporting long
term recovery. That's incredible. That'sincredible. So I want to ask you,
how does one Amanda say to yourself, Okay, I am going to
open up a facility for recovery,because to me, that is I just
(02:23):
can't imagine. It's one of thehardest jobs. It's one of the jobs
where it's not like everybody that comesin is happy about being where they are.
They have got big problems so howdid you, Amanda Cope, come
to say, Okay, I'm goingto head Positive Recovery Solutions. So it
came a lot from my own personalstory. I actually celebrate seventeen years clean
(02:46):
and sober in May of this year, and so a lot of the philosophies
of this treatment were taken from whatI had personally experienced. And that was
some good things that I sell inthe field that were very profound, the
moments that impacted me in such away that I wanted to be like that
nurse I had met. And thenthere were some not so great moments where
(03:10):
you know, I got my RNand I got into the field and I
was working with its population and itwas a completely different experience for what these
patients were coming into than what Ihad received. And so it was kind
of like two ends of the spectrum. And I thought, there has got
to be a way for people tobe met with empathy and compassion and no
(03:34):
judgment so that we could save people. Yeah, that is the one thing
that it's hard for And I guessI'm speaking for myself or anybody else that
doesn't. I mean, everybody experiencesaddiction in their lives when it comes to
family or friends. But it's sohard for me to understand how things aren't
(03:59):
so bad that somebody can't just say, Okay, that's it. You know,
I'm at a low point, I'mnot going to do this anymore.
I mean, it is that astupid or naive comment to have about the
general population? I think it's it'sI would maybe say that it is a
little naive just because I guess activeaddiction unless you've experienced it, you can't
(04:25):
really, I guess, make judgmenton it. Right. So what people
don't understand about active addiction is thatthese patients are not throwaway pieces of society.
They are not bad people who justdon't mind hurting anybody that comes into
their path and breaking relationships and youknow, the trust of their family and
their loved ones. Addiction makes youa slave to your drug of choice.
(04:48):
And that's the truest way that Icould explain that you've become a slave to
your addiction. And the length thatpeople go to because that addiction demands of
them are really sad. And that'sone of the things that is so important
to us is education to patients,specifically that they're worthy, that they're capable
(05:13):
that it's something that they can achieveto. But addiction is it is not
a willpower disease. It is achemical change in your brain, and it's
a really, really tough road fornot only the addict or alcoholics, but
also for the whole family and community. I'm loving that you said that.
That is what I wanted to hear, because it is something that it's hard
(05:39):
to watch, I'm sure for familymembers or friends or wives or husbands.
But how do people that are addicted, how did they reach the point?
Like how did you reach the pointto say I've got to do something.
So they say that everybody has abottom right, and so somebody is not
(05:59):
going to stop their life of activeaddiction until they reached this so called bottom
right, and so it's different fora lot of different people. For me
personally, it was I had areally close friend, Marla, who was
a great girl, my best friend, and she didn't have the problems that
(06:21):
I did. She didn't have activeaddiction. But I at this point was
drinking two fifth vodka a day notto go into withdrawal. And what had
happened as I had gone into arestroom to use the restroom and I had
seized because I had not had enoughalcohol in my system, and I had
fallen backwards and I broke the bigpart of the toilet, the big back
(06:44):
part of the toilet, the porcelaintoilet, And so my friend Marla had
come into the bathroom and had foundme, and I don't know if I
was still twitching or exactly how thattranspired, but ultimately I ended up hitting
her to where she ended up cuttingherself from her knuckle to her on the
porchlin. And that was kind ofthe bottom for me, you know,
(07:05):
And before that it had led toyou know, I'm just chugging out of
a fifth of vodka with tear streamingdown my face, not knowing how to
stop. So how in the worldare you still friends with her? I
have to ask you that I am. That's so crazy. She worked for
me in the company. That's soincredible. I mean, yes, And
(07:30):
that takes strength, That takes somuch strength, and that is that says
something loud and clear to me thatyou need people around you. And I'm
hoping that's what you're here to tellme today, that those people are positive
recovery solutions. Oh my gosh,we're such a We're such a family oriented
(07:54):
company. We are not big business. Our mission each and every one of
us. We're probably sitting right outabout forty employees. I would say there
are four specific girls which are kindof the only people I know today that
knew me an active addiction. Andwe all have this job together. And
so one of them works for meas a nurse practitioner, two of them
(08:18):
work for me as scheduling and soover this twenty year span where they've seen
me an active addiction and then theygot to know me in recovery, and
then I built this company, andthen they've come and supported that mission and
supported me. Has just been suchan amazing experience. I am blessed by
God, There's no doubt about that. That's so great to hear. Let
(08:41):
me I just I have a millionquestions that I don't know where to start.
But the first one I have toask you is how do people find
out more about positive recovery Solutions.So we have a website, and that
website is going to be www dotprs dash cares dot com. So www
(09:03):
dot prshcr ees dot com. Orthey can call our corporate office in Washington,
Pennsylvania, at four one two sixsix zero seven zero six four and
at our corporate office, we couldget them aligned with whatever state that they're
actually in. That way, Okay, I have a friend, a nurse
(09:28):
practitioner who lives in New Hampshire,and she tells me about the patients that
she has to see with the opioidproblem. I don't even know if it's
problem seems like such a small word, but the issue that their state is
dealing with, and there are somany people that are addicted. And I
(09:50):
know I sound so dumb by sayingthis, but I didn't realize how big
the problem was until I started watchingdocumentaries and movies on Netflix about the opioid
issue that is. I mean,it's devastating America basically and breaking up families.
And so, I don't you know, I feel horrible to even ask
(10:16):
you this, but I mean,how did your family deal with your issues?
I mean, how did it breakthem apart? I want the firsthand
like knowledge so that I can understandwhat this does to families. Yeah,
So I always say that my familycould be like the genetic poster child for
(10:39):
addiction in family right, And somy dad had struggled with alcoholism all the
way up until I was fifteen yearsold. And my mother had passed away
when I was six, and sothat left of cancer. That left us
four kids. I'm the youngest,with my poor father trying to trying to
take care of four kids, littlesupervision, and so you know, he
(11:05):
had his own struggles, but byGod's grace, he got sober when I
was fifteen. So ultimately, mydad was the one who had twelve stepped
me at age twenty seven and andtold me about you know, the rooms
of AA and treatment and that therewas a way out because he had saw
them struggling. And my family wasso supportive. I mean, my sister,
(11:31):
whose closest in age to me beingnow, she'll tell you stories that
in her mind she was already pickingout like coffins and envisioning what my funeral
was going to be like, becauseshe they all felt that I really wasn't
long for this world at the ratethat I was growing, but they loved
me unconditionally. They never turned theirbacks on me, and you know,
(11:52):
they support me to this day andencouraged me to this day, and they're
they're my best friend. My dadand I every night since I've got sober
for seventeen years now. The lastcall I make is to my dad and
we pray every single nights, andso it's really made it a relationship that
(12:13):
I don't know where I would bewithout. He is my hands down best
friend. That is an incredible story. Hi to your dad, Hello,
thank you. You're not kidding aboutit being a god thing, because what
man who is completely stressed out withyou know, life itself, then deals
(12:33):
with an addiction and then has fourchildren to deal with can make it through
that. I know he's listen.I even got him this little plaque and
I don't want to mess it up, but it says your path has got
in mind and that is so verytrue. Like what he experienced and what
(12:54):
he did were the stepping stones thatI followed. I wouldn't be where I
am today without my dad, andhe is number one dad in the world.
I just can't say quick things abouthim. I just yeah, Amanda,
thank you so much for telling thatstory. That is that really is
incredible. If you've just started listening. This is Amanda Cope. She's founder
(13:16):
and chief operating officer at Positive RecoverySolutions, And I asked you this before
we started recording. But you yousaid you're in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky,
Indiana, and soon coming to WestVirginia. And obviously you you I
mean not obviously, I'm wondering howdid you pick these states to start up
(13:37):
in? So I was blessed intwo thousand and the end of two thousand
nineteen, I met two amazing individuals, and that is our CEO, John
Donahue and our Chairman of the board, Chad O'Donnell. And these gentlemen were
able to come in and connect withme and partner with me, and so
(14:01):
they brought in kind of that experiencethat was needed because they're so well rounded
in their fields and to really beable to expand PRS to be able to
go into all of these states.And our mission is to wherever patients meet
services, we take them. Andso where Pennsylvania was where we started because
(14:22):
it was my neck of the woodsI'm from, you know, fifteen minutes
east of Pittsburgh. We have definedour expansion by where what states are the
toughest hit by the opiate em academicright now and so next we'll be going
into Tennessee, into Michigan, intoVirginia into Arizona, and so that's always
(14:43):
kind of guided our path, likewhere is the need the most, and
how can we help as many patientsas possible. So with the I don't
know, these are questions that I'vealways wondered, but I mean with the
stress of the world, and Ifeel like there's a lot more today than
there have been in years past.I mean, does that add to the
(15:07):
problem of addiction or does it noteven matter? Oh? Absolutely, I
mean if you look at the opioidepidemic, we've been battling that for years.
But what was really sad to seeis during the COVID alcoholism spike unbelievably
(15:28):
because people were left with with nothingto do. So we're taking you know,
people who were well educated, veryyou know, high up in their
field, and then we're sticking themat home with nothing to do all day,
and you know, unfortunately, alot of people turned to alcohol to
pass the time, to you know, calm the anxiety, to do it
(15:52):
for a lot of different reasons.And so we've seen that really spike really
high as well. But I thinkthat, yeah, it continues to get
worse, and we just see differentsubstances pop up, but there's there's you
know, it's scary what's happening there. It's way different than when I got
clean SOBO in two thousand and six, that's for sure. So at the
(16:14):
very beginning, I asked you allabout what was the difference, you know,
with positive recovery solutions, and youtalked about Vivatral and I just lightly,
I mean went over it, butit is like, wow, I
don't that is incredible. So let'ssay someone says, okay, do they
(16:37):
check themselves in how did they evenget to the point where they're given a
medication? So is that kind ofit's a nice segue into why we created
this company. And so generally apatient would be able to you know,
obtain vivatral or get get vatral injectionwhile they were in patient rehab or before
(16:57):
they left being incarcerated from jail.And then what was happening was they were
they were put on this medication andit was amazing because they were not experiencing
cravings, they were not able tosuccessfully use they were focusing on the work
of recovery. But then when theywent back home, there wasn't a follow
up provider to give them this injection, and so that's why we created positive
(17:21):
Recovery Solutions. It was to takethe services directly to where the patients needed
it. And so we literally startedwith an RV in two thou fifteen,
and my husband, who was apolice officer, would pull up around for
me to these rural communities in Pennsylvaniaon his two days off from work and
(17:41):
I would you know, see patientI fell seven patients in July of two
fifteen, and then you know,the need became so obvious and everybody was
like, we need back here.And so we had a quick expansion in
Pennsylvania and then just start doing everythingwe could to go into these additional states.
And so now instead of using anRV, we send our mobile health
(18:03):
team directly into entities, so behavioralhealth entities, to IOPs, to recovery
cafides, to wherever the patients are. We send our team in to medically
manage them. You would think,or one would think that there would be
I don't know, a hesitation forsomeone to say, wow, you know
(18:27):
here is a mobile unit coming.Is it hesitation to go to you or
is it thank god they're here?How do people receive you when you come
to these areas. Oh my God, with love, with gratitude. We
have never had an incense in anysetting, whether it was just our team
(18:52):
going in or whether it was ourunit park in a parking lot where we've
had just a passer by say wedon't want this here or not in my
neighborhood, or deny that there's aproblem. So no, we have always
been you know, we've held ourheads high, and the community as a
whole has really accepted us and reallyjust been proud to have that service available
(19:15):
in their community. And so thisis, you know, a complicated way
to end this, but I justneed to know this. I mean,
do people get treated by going throughinsurance? How do people pay for it?
So it's a really expensive medication andso ay, there's a lack of
education behind the medication. So oneof our key components is that we directly
(19:38):
educate the patient populations themselves. Sowhether we're going into jails, whether we're
going into large residential treatment facilities orlarge IOP groups, our goal is to
explain the difference between relapse prevention,which is what Vivatroo is, and harm
reduction, which are what other modelsare. And we go in and make
(20:00):
sure that we educate the patients,because that's that one that patients need to
know that there is a way out, that they need to know what these
services are that they don't pack tonecessarily be on a harm reduction model,
you know, with with an opiatereplacement medication, that they can remain completely
abstinent and get good treatment and buildtheir foundation of recovery free of that worry
(20:26):
of having to withdraw off of somethingor having to you know, fill withdraw
off something. And so our educationis the most important thing. And I
think you need to repeat your questionfor me. No, no, no,
Rather I totally no, I totallyget what you're saying. And I
was saying to myself like, uh, sometimes I have a hard time going
(20:51):
to the doctor because I can't evenpay you know, the co pay.
So if I you know, howdoes money how does the money part come
in? So it's a super expensivemedication. And so we are credentialed with
all insurances across the board in everystate that we operate. And so one
of the important things that is reallyimportant education that I want patients to know
(21:15):
is that they should never be chargedcash for vivitrial treatment. Every part of
their treatment is covered by their insurance. Now, if they have a commercial
plan like a hard mark or whateverthe case may be, where they have
a co pay or a dedectible,those things would be applicable. But if
they have Medicaid, which is thevast majority of our patient population, and
they go up to a they finda provider that says something among the lines
(21:38):
of, hey, we can giveyou your injection, but your office visit
isn't covered and it's going to costyou two hundred or three hundred dollars to
be seen. That is fraud.You should not be paying cash for your
treatment, and so it should becovered by your insurance. And we make
sure that we take care of ourpatients and the most pesthical and best practice
(22:00):
possible for the patients to recover.Oh, that's great, that is that's
really good to know. I justI can't do you have any advice for
people anyone that they would like,anything you'd like to share with the listeners,
because this has been an incredible timefor me. Yes, I would
love the opportunity to if I wasspeaking to somebody right now who was an
(22:22):
active addiction, to promise them thatthey are one hundred percent worthy of recovery,
that there is nothing in their history, nothing that they have done,
no lengths that they have gone tothat makes themselves unworthy for recovery. That
we are all capable of it.And I know that we pay a lot
of attention as a society to thetwo hundred and I think it's seventy six
(22:45):
patient people die every single day froman opiate overdose, right And that's a
scary, scary number. But weneed to send a message of hope as
well. We need to talk aboutthe twenty five plus million people in this
country that off one day at atime clean and sober in recovery. You
have to send a message of hopeas well, and that together we could
(23:07):
do this. There's nothing that isnot manageable when you surround yourself with people
who are just like you, youknow. So there's a room full of
people somewhere, probably really close toyou right now, that are that are
sitting around and discussing how their addictionis getting better and steps that they took
to find recovery, and they're thereto help you. And all you have
(23:30):
to do is reach your hand outand as a community in recovery, we
welcome you and we hold your handalong the way. Oh that is fantastic.
Amanda Cope. She's the founder andchief operating officer of Positive Recovery Solutions.
Amanda, could you tell everybody wherethey can find you? Yes,
(23:51):
they can find us on our websiteat www dot trsashcres dot com, or
they can call our corporate location tofind a convenient location near them, and
that phone number would be four onetwo six six zero seven zero six four.
(24:11):
Amanda, thank you so much foryour time today and best of luck
there. I mean, this isjust like too good to be true almost,
but I, like you said,it's a good thing and I truly
believe that. And thank you somuch. Well, thank you so much
for taking the time to hear mystory. And I agree. She greatly
appreciate you taking up the time ofyear day as well,
This week on the Art of Improvement, I'll be speaking with Amanda Cope.
She is the founder and chief operatingofficer of Positive Recovery Solutions. That's a
mobile clinic offering approved treatments and counselingfor addiction. With over seventeen years of
sobriety, You're going to want tohear Amanda story my conversation with her next
on the Art of Improvement. Thankyou so much for joining us today.
(00:28):
My guest is Amanda Cope. Sheis the founder and chief operating officer at
Positive Recovery Solutions. Hi Amanda,Hi, THI for having me today.
Absolutely, First, before I askyou a zillion questions about you, I
want to ask what is Positive RecoverySolutions. So, Positive Recovery Solutions is
(00:49):
a company that started in two thousandand fifteen. And what we do is
we were the first ever mobile vivitualservices in the country. So we the
medical management of the medication Vivatral andwe bring services directly to where patients are.
So what is Vivatral. You've gotto tell me that, Oh okay,
(01:10):
So, Vivatral is a game changer. Vivatral is a once monthly long
acting extended release now truck Zone.So it's an injectible that goes directly into
the muscle. And what it doesis it releases now trek zone every day
for thirty six days. And whatnow truck Zone does as it pertains to
alcohol abuse or opiate abuse, isit blocks the ability to successfully use those
(01:37):
two substances. So it is consideredrelapse prevention. There's nothing habit forming about
vivatral. There's nothing that you couldget hooked on. And the most exciting
thing about that medication is the factthat it takes away our number one reason
for relapse, which is our craving. So when you use this specific medication
(01:57):
in conjunction with behavioral health, patientsfind a much higher likelihood of supporting long
term recovery. That's incredible. That'sincredible. So I want to ask you,
how does one Amanda say to yourself, Okay, I am going to
open up a facility for recovery,because to me, that is I just
(02:23):
can't imagine. It's one of thehardest jobs. It's one of the jobs
where it's not like everybody that comesin is happy about being where they are.
They have got big problems so howdid you, Amanda Cope, come
to say, Okay, I'm goingto head Positive Recovery Solutions. So it
came a lot from my own personalstory. I actually celebrate seventeen years clean
(02:46):
and sober in May of this year, and so a lot of the philosophies
of this treatment were taken from whatI had personally experienced. And that was
some good things that I sell inthe field that were very profound, the
moments that impacted me in such away that I wanted to be like that
nurse I had met. And thenthere were some not so great moments where
(03:10):
you know, I got my RNand I got into the field and I
was working with its population and itwas a completely different experience for what these
patients were coming into than what Ihad received. And so it was kind
of like two ends of the spectrum. And I thought, there has got
to be a way for people tobe met with empathy and compassion and no
(03:34):
judgment so that we could save people. Yeah, that is the one thing
that it's hard for And I guessI'm speaking for myself or anybody else that
doesn't. I mean, everybody experiencesaddiction in their lives when it comes to
family or friends. But it's sohard for me to understand how things aren't
(03:59):
so bad that somebody can't just say, Okay, that's it. You know,
I'm at a low point, I'mnot going to do this anymore.
I mean, it is that astupid or naive comment to have about the
general population? I think it's it'sI would maybe say that it is a
little naive just because I guess activeaddiction unless you've experienced it, you can't
(04:25):
really, I guess, make judgmenton it. Right. So what people
don't understand about active addiction is thatthese patients are not throwaway pieces of society.
They are not bad people who justdon't mind hurting anybody that comes into
their path and breaking relationships and youknow, the trust of their family and
their loved ones. Addiction makes youa slave to your drug of choice.
(04:48):
And that's the truest way that Icould explain that you've become a slave to
your addiction. And the length thatpeople go to because that addiction demands of
them are really sad. And that'sone of the things that is so important
to us is education to patients,specifically that they're worthy, that they're capable
(05:13):
that it's something that they can achieveto. But addiction is it is not
a willpower disease. It is achemical change in your brain, and it's
a really, really tough road fornot only the addict or alcoholics, but
also for the whole family and community. I'm loving that you said that.
That is what I wanted to hear, because it is something that it's hard
(05:39):
to watch, I'm sure for familymembers or friends or wives or husbands.
But how do people that are addicted, how did they reach the point?
Like how did you reach the pointto say I've got to do something.
So they say that everybody has abottom right, and so somebody is not
(05:59):
going to stop their life of activeaddiction until they reached this so called bottom
right, and so it's different fora lot of different people. For me
personally, it was I had areally close friend, Marla, who was
a great girl, my best friend, and she didn't have the problems that
(06:21):
I did. She didn't have activeaddiction. But I at this point was
drinking two fifth vodka a day notto go into withdrawal. And what had
happened as I had gone into arestroom to use the restroom and I had
seized because I had not had enoughalcohol in my system, and I had
fallen backwards and I broke the bigpart of the toilet, the big back
(06:44):
part of the toilet, the porcelaintoilet, And so my friend Marla had
come into the bathroom and had foundme, and I don't know if I
was still twitching or exactly how thattranspired, but ultimately I ended up hitting
her to where she ended up cuttingherself from her knuckle to her on the
porchlin. And that was kind ofthe bottom for me, you know,
(07:05):
And before that it had led toyou know, I'm just chugging out of
a fifth of vodka with tear streamingdown my face, not knowing how to
stop. So how in the worldare you still friends with her? I
have to ask you that I am. That's so crazy. She worked for
me in the company. That's soincredible. I mean, yes, And
(07:30):
that takes strength, That takes somuch strength, and that is that says
something loud and clear to me thatyou need people around you. And I'm
hoping that's what you're here to tellme today, that those people are positive
recovery solutions. Oh my gosh,we're such a We're such a family oriented
(07:54):
company. We are not big business. Our mission each and every one of
us. We're probably sitting right outabout forty employees. I would say there
are four specific girls which are kindof the only people I know today that
knew me an active addiction. Andwe all have this job together. And
so one of them works for meas a nurse practitioner, two of them
(08:18):
work for me as scheduling and soover this twenty year span where they've seen
me an active addiction and then theygot to know me in recovery, and
then I built this company, andthen they've come and supported that mission and
supported me. Has just been suchan amazing experience. I am blessed by
God, There's no doubt about that. That's so great to hear. Let
(08:41):
me I just I have a millionquestions that I don't know where to start.
But the first one I have toask you is how do people find
out more about positive recovery Solutions.So we have a website, and that
website is going to be www dotprs dash cares dot com. So www
(09:03):
dot prshcr ees dot com. Orthey can call our corporate office in Washington,
Pennsylvania, at four one two sixsix zero seven zero six four and
at our corporate office, we couldget them aligned with whatever state that they're
actually in. That way, Okay, I have a friend, a nurse
(09:28):
practitioner who lives in New Hampshire,and she tells me about the patients that
she has to see with the opioidproblem. I don't even know if it's
problem seems like such a small word, but the issue that their state is
dealing with, and there are somany people that are addicted. And I
(09:50):
know I sound so dumb by sayingthis, but I didn't realize how big
the problem was until I started watchingdocumentaries and movies on Netflix about the opioid
issue that is. I mean,it's devastating America basically and breaking up families.
And so, I don't you know, I feel horrible to even ask
(10:16):
you this, but I mean,how did your family deal with your issues?
I mean, how did it breakthem apart? I want the firsthand
like knowledge so that I can understandwhat this does to families. Yeah,
So I always say that my familycould be like the genetic poster child for
(10:39):
addiction in family right, And somy dad had struggled with alcoholism all the
way up until I was fifteen yearsold. And my mother had passed away
when I was six, and sothat left of cancer. That left us
four kids. I'm the youngest,with my poor father trying to trying to
take care of four kids, littlesupervision, and so you know, he
(11:05):
had his own struggles, but byGod's grace, he got sober when I
was fifteen. So ultimately, mydad was the one who had twelve stepped
me at age twenty seven and andtold me about you know, the rooms
of AA and treatment and that therewas a way out because he had saw
them struggling. And my family wasso supportive. I mean, my sister,
(11:31):
whose closest in age to me beingnow, she'll tell you stories that
in her mind she was already pickingout like coffins and envisioning what my funeral
was going to be like, becauseshe they all felt that I really wasn't
long for this world at the ratethat I was growing, but they loved
me unconditionally. They never turned theirbacks on me, and you know,
(11:52):
they support me to this day andencouraged me to this day, and they're
they're my best friend. My dadand I every night since I've got sober
for seventeen years now. The lastcall I make is to my dad and
we pray every single nights, andso it's really made it a relationship that
(12:13):
I don't know where I would bewithout. He is my hands down best
friend. That is an incredible story. Hi to your dad, Hello,
thank you. You're not kidding aboutit being a god thing, because what
man who is completely stressed out withyou know, life itself, then deals
(12:33):
with an addiction and then has fourchildren to deal with can make it through
that. I know he's listen.I even got him this little plaque and
I don't want to mess it up, but it says your path has got
in mind and that is so verytrue. Like what he experienced and what
(12:54):
he did were the stepping stones thatI followed. I wouldn't be where I
am today without my dad, andhe is number one dad in the world.
I just can't say quick things abouthim. I just yeah, Amanda,
thank you so much for telling thatstory. That is that really is
incredible. If you've just started listening. This is Amanda Cope. She's founder
(13:16):
and chief operating officer at Positive RecoverySolutions, And I asked you this before
we started recording. But you yousaid you're in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky,
Indiana, and soon coming to WestVirginia. And obviously you you I
mean not obviously, I'm wondering howdid you pick these states to start up
(13:37):
in? So I was blessed intwo thousand and the end of two thousand
nineteen, I met two amazing individuals, and that is our CEO, John
Donahue and our Chairman of the board, Chad O'Donnell. And these gentlemen were
able to come in and connect withme and partner with me, and so
(14:01):
they brought in kind of that experiencethat was needed because they're so well rounded
in their fields and to really beable to expand PRS to be able to
go into all of these states.And our mission is to wherever patients meet
services, we take them. Andso where Pennsylvania was where we started because
(14:22):
it was my neck of the woodsI'm from, you know, fifteen minutes
east of Pittsburgh. We have definedour expansion by where what states are the
toughest hit by the opiate em academicright now and so next we'll be going
into Tennessee, into Michigan, intoVirginia into Arizona, and so that's always
(14:43):
kind of guided our path, likewhere is the need the most, and
how can we help as many patientsas possible. So with the I don't
know, these are questions that I'vealways wondered, but I mean with the
stress of the world, and Ifeel like there's a lot more today than
there have been in years past.I mean, does that add to the
(15:07):
problem of addiction or does it noteven matter? Oh? Absolutely, I
mean if you look at the opioidepidemic, we've been battling that for years.
But what was really sad to seeis during the COVID alcoholism spike unbelievably
(15:28):
because people were left with with nothingto do. So we're taking you know,
people who were well educated, veryyou know, high up in their
field, and then we're sticking themat home with nothing to do all day,
and you know, unfortunately, alot of people turned to alcohol to
pass the time, to you know, calm the anxiety, to do it
(15:52):
for a lot of different reasons.And so we've seen that really spike really
high as well. But I thinkthat, yeah, it continues to get
worse, and we just see differentsubstances pop up, but there's there's you
know, it's scary what's happening there. It's way different than when I got
clean SOBO in two thousand and six, that's for sure. So at the
(16:14):
very beginning, I asked you allabout what was the difference, you know,
with positive recovery solutions, and youtalked about Vivatral and I just lightly,
I mean went over it, butit is like, wow, I
don't that is incredible. So let'ssay someone says, okay, do they
(16:37):
check themselves in how did they evenget to the point where they're given a
medication? So is that kind ofit's a nice segue into why we created
this company. And so generally apatient would be able to you know,
obtain vivatral or get get vatral injectionwhile they were in patient rehab or before
(16:57):
they left being incarcerated from jail.And then what was happening was they were
they were put on this medication andit was amazing because they were not experiencing
cravings, they were not able tosuccessfully use they were focusing on the work
of recovery. But then when theywent back home, there wasn't a follow
up provider to give them this injection, and so that's why we created positive
(17:21):
Recovery Solutions. It was to takethe services directly to where the patients needed
it. And so we literally startedwith an RV in two thou fifteen,
and my husband, who was apolice officer, would pull up around for
me to these rural communities in Pennsylvaniaon his two days off from work and
(17:41):
I would you know, see patientI fell seven patients in July of two
fifteen, and then you know,the need became so obvious and everybody was
like, we need back here.And so we had a quick expansion in
Pennsylvania and then just start doing everythingwe could to go into these additional states.
And so now instead of using anRV, we send our mobile health
(18:03):
team directly into entities, so behavioralhealth entities, to IOPs, to recovery
cafides, to wherever the patients are. We send our team in to medically
manage them. You would think,or one would think that there would be
I don't know, a hesitation forsomeone to say, wow, you know
(18:27):
here is a mobile unit coming.Is it hesitation to go to you or
is it thank god they're here?How do people receive you when you come
to these areas. Oh my God, with love, with gratitude. We
have never had an incense in anysetting, whether it was just our team
(18:52):
going in or whether it was ourunit park in a parking lot where we've
had just a passer by say wedon't want this here or not in my
neighborhood, or deny that there's aproblem. So no, we have always
been you know, we've held ourheads high, and the community as a
whole has really accepted us and reallyjust been proud to have that service available
(19:15):
in their community. And so thisis, you know, a complicated way
to end this, but I justneed to know this. I mean,
do people get treated by going throughinsurance? How do people pay for it?
So it's a really expensive medication andso ay, there's a lack of
education behind the medication. So oneof our key components is that we directly
(19:38):
educate the patient populations themselves. Sowhether we're going into jails, whether we're
going into large residential treatment facilities orlarge IOP groups, our goal is to
explain the difference between relapse prevention,which is what Vivatroo is, and harm
reduction, which are what other modelsare. And we go in and make
(20:00):
sure that we educate the patients,because that's that one that patients need to
know that there is a way out, that they need to know what these
services are that they don't pack tonecessarily be on a harm reduction model,
you know, with with an opiatereplacement medication, that they can remain completely
abstinent and get good treatment and buildtheir foundation of recovery free of that worry
(20:26):
of having to withdraw off of somethingor having to you know, fill withdraw
off something. And so our educationis the most important thing. And I
think you need to repeat your questionfor me. No, no, no,
Rather I totally no, I totallyget what you're saying. And I
was saying to myself like, uh, sometimes I have a hard time going
(20:51):
to the doctor because I can't evenpay you know, the co pay.
So if I you know, howdoes money how does the money part come
in? So it's a super expensivemedication. And so we are credentialed with
all insurances across the board in everystate that we operate. And so one
of the important things that is reallyimportant education that I want patients to know
(21:15):
is that they should never be chargedcash for vivitrial treatment. Every part of
their treatment is covered by their insurance. Now, if they have a commercial
plan like a hard mark or whateverthe case may be, where they have
a co pay or a dedectible,those things would be applicable. But if
they have Medicaid, which is thevast majority of our patient population, and
they go up to a they finda provider that says something among the lines
(21:38):
of, hey, we can giveyou your injection, but your office visit
isn't covered and it's going to costyou two hundred or three hundred dollars to
be seen. That is fraud.You should not be paying cash for your
treatment, and so it should becovered by your insurance. And we make
sure that we take care of ourpatients and the most pesthical and best practice
(22:00):
possible for the patients to recover.Oh, that's great, that is that's
really good to know. I justI can't do you have any advice for
people anyone that they would like,anything you'd like to share with the listeners,
because this has been an incredible timefor me. Yes, I would
love the opportunity to if I wasspeaking to somebody right now who was an
(22:22):
active addiction, to promise them thatthey are one hundred percent worthy of recovery,
that there is nothing in their history, nothing that they have done,
no lengths that they have gone tothat makes themselves unworthy for recovery. That
we are all capable of it.And I know that we pay a lot
of attention as a society to thetwo hundred and I think it's seventy six
(22:45):
patient people die every single day froman opiate overdose, right And that's a
scary, scary number. But weneed to send a message of hope as
well. We need to talk aboutthe twenty five plus million people in this
country that off one day at atime clean and sober in recovery. You
have to send a message of hopeas well, and that together we could
(23:07):
do this. There's nothing that isnot manageable when you surround yourself with people
who are just like you, youknow. So there's a room full of
people somewhere, probably really close toyou right now, that are that are
sitting around and discussing how their addictionis getting better and steps that they took
to find recovery, and they're thereto help you. And all you have
(23:30):
to do is reach your hand outand as a community in recovery, we
welcome you and we hold your handalong the way. Oh that is fantastic.
Amanda Cope. She's the founder andchief operating officer of Positive Recovery Solutions.
Amanda, could you tell everybody wherethey can find you? Yes,
(23:51):
they can find us on our websiteat www dot trsashcres dot com, or
they can call our corporate location tofind a convenient location near them, and
that phone number would be four onetwo six six zero seven zero six four.
(24:11):
Amanda, thank you so much foryour time today and best of luck
there. I mean, this isjust like too good to be true almost,
but I, like you said,it's a good thing and I truly
believe that. And thank you somuch. Well, thank you so much
for taking the time to hear mystory. And I agree. She greatly
appreciate you taking up the time ofyear day as well,
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