Horizon Treatment Services

Safe Feedback In Behavioral Health

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2246427/fan_mail/new] Season 2 | Episode 2 The fastest way to lose trust in behavioral health is to ask for feedback and then do nothing with it. We talk with Remington Rainey, co-founder of Pulse for Good, and our own Eliseo Becerra about what it really takes to create safe, honest, anonymous feedback in substance use disorder treatment, detox, and sobering center settings where people are often in distress and power dynamics are real. We dig into why kiosk-based surveys can outperform emailed links, how small design choices like star ratings support accessibility across cultures, and why anonymity is often the difference between “fine” and the truth. Eliseo shares concrete wins from Horizon Services: upgrades sparked by staff input, quality improvements driven by client comments, and stakeholder surveys that help partners like EMTs and law enforcement get smoother handoffs. We also unpack the discipline of closing the loop so clients and employees can see “you said, we heard” in action. Then we geek out on the technology behind the scenes: sentiment analysis for open-text comments, automatic translation for multilingual communities, and how AI can reduce documentation burden so clinicians spend more time face to face with clients. We even explore safety-focused tools like wearable beacons and motion alerts, plus what strong vendor partnerships look like when you push for better care without burning out your team. If you care about patient experience, employee engagement, and quality improvement in human services, share this with a leader who needs a better feedback loop, subscribe for more conversations like this, and leave a review with your biggest question about building trust through transparency. Pulse For Good [https://www.pulseforgood.com/] Media - Podcasts (horizonservices.org) [https://horizonservices.org/podcasts/]

KATE: The Overdose Prevention Chatbot

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2246427/fan_mail/new] Silence is one of the most dangerous symptoms of the overdose crisis and it often starts with a simple fear: “If I ask this question, what will people think of me?” We sit down with Justin Phillips, CEO and founder of Overdose Lifeline, to talk about Kate, an anonymous AI chatbot created to answer questions about fentanyl, naloxone, harm reduction, and substance use disorder without judgment. Kate recently earned a Shorty Award, and the recognition matters because it helps more people find a tool built for clarity, not hype. We get specific about what makes this chatbot different from typical generative AI. Justin explains the risk of AI hallucinations in health education and why Kate is designed to pull only from a vetted, evidence-based repository reviewed by subject matter experts. If Kate cannot answer, she says so and points people to the right resources. We also share what users are actually searching for, including basic definitions of fentanyl and naloxone, where to get naloxone, and whether it is legal, a reminder that stigma can keep even “simple” questions locked up until it is too late. The conversation goes deeper into prevention and trauma informed care. Justin shares the story of losing her son Aaron, how shame can block relapse help-seeking, and why “othering” addiction keeps families isolated. We discuss ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), resilience, and how harm reduction works in real life, from fentanyl test strips and naloxone to syringe access that reduces HIV and hepatitis C risk. We also highlight programs that support kids impacted by a loved one’s addiction and how Kate may evolve to better reach youth in their own language. If this sparked a new question for you, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these overdose prevention and addiction education resources. Media - Podcasts (horizonservices.org) [https://horizonservices.org/podcasts/]