Rhode Island health and wellness group wins A Community Thrives grant

PROVIDENCE − Integrative Healthcare Solutions, a non-profit organization devoted to enhancing the well-being of people, has been awarded a $20,000 A Community Thrives grant from Gannett, parent company of The Providence Journal.

The grant will be used “to start a new grief initiative to help those that have lost a loved one to the opioid crisis or Substance Abuse Disorder,” Integrative Healthcare founder Catherine DeOrsey, a West Greenwich resident, told The Journal in expressing her gratitude for the funds.

DeOrsey lost her brother, David Gott, 43, who lived with opioid and alcohol addiction, in 2008. “His autopsy revealed opioids, alcohol and cocaine,” DeOrsey said. “He had fatally overdosed.”

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According to DeOrsey, the new program “launched with a two-and-a-half day holistic grief retreat held at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. The retreat brought three generations of people together from all different backgrounds including some from the recovery community.

“Due to the generosity of this award, fourteen people were awarded full scholarships to attend this novel event. It gave grieving loved ones the much-needed space and time for self-care while providing holistic education and group connection with people who know what they’re going through.

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“Despite the heaviness of this crisis and tremendous pain people are living with, people left the event happy, learned new healthy ways to manage their pain and felt love from a new group of friends that will support them as they move forward in their healing journey. Due to the overwhelming success of the program, plans are already being created for future events including a new holistic grief support group on social media. They plan to create a consistent schedule of events to help the growing community in need.”

To learn more about this program and others that Integrative Healthcare Solutions offers, visit integrativehealthcaresolutions.org or email catherine@ihsri.org

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Integrative Healthcare Solutions wins Community Thrives grant