Ken Huey 0:00

Welcome to The Voice of Hope, where bold leaders and healers share how they're building hope, not just talking about it. I'm Dr. Ken Huey. Let's meet the changemakers transforming lives from the therapy room to the boardroom. Hello and welcome to The Voice of Hope. Today's guest is Dr. Ron Flack Jr., Vice President of the Carolinas at Volunteers of America, Chesapeake and Carolinas, a seasoned behavioral health leader with nearly two decades of experience driving growth, improving care systems, and expanding access to treatment for individuals and families affected by substance use. Ron, how are you? Great to have you. Thank you.

Dr Ron Flack Jr 0:39

It's an honor, Ken. Thank you for this opportunity and this moment. Pleasure to speak to you, your audience, and to be a guest on your platform.

Ken Huey 0:48

Well, thank you so much. I'm always curious what leads people to land in a helping profession. So what got you pursuing behavioral health, addiction counseling?

Dr Ron Flack Jr 0:57

Well, initially, Ken, I come from a background and an environment that produced the unfortunates of when you don't have positive support metrics in an environment. I come from a small town. I'm very proud of Reidsville, North Carolina, but unfortunately, that environment in different pockets of that environment doesn't produce some of the best uh things out of an individual. And so the direction of path that I was headed down was leading me into definitely a life that I would have regretted. And so back in 2005, uh turned my life around, rededicated my life to my believer, my Lord and Savior, and really started a path in recovery. And that was the direction that I truly believe life was leading me down. And in 2007, I married the queen of my life. Truly was a major attribute to my commitment and continued growth personally, as well as for our family. And then in 2008, I met a guy who became a mentor and a sponsor for me. And I can never tell my story and leave him out. Mr. Reginald Mahatha, who was a leading vice president of what is now called New Season, but then was called a Colonial Management Group, gave me an opportunity to give back to an environment, place, and people that I once neglected and brought self-harm to myself. And so since 2007, 2008, we have been giving back to this particular sector of services and making sure that we create an opportunity to be a voice to those that are most vulnerable.

Ken Huey 2:47

Well, fantastic. So it sounds like you come from an environment where your ACE score was probably a little high. Does that sound fair? If I would have been tested, then 100%. Yeah. I have an ACE score myself of seven, which led me into the field. And like you, had a few key people that landed in my life that were positive role models who were securely attached, which helps as you mitigate a high ACE score. So I'm super happy that you've landed where you have and doing the work that you do. Let me ask a few questions. So, first, two decades of experience. What change have you seen in how we approach substance abuse and recovery?

Dr Ron Flack Jr 3:25

The biggest change, Ken, that I've seen walking into this field, number one, is that substance abuse doesn't have to hide anymore. Of course, we've now transitioned from substance abuse to substance use disorders. And so there's a lot more compassion and empathy given to those that are struggling with this disease. I came into the field when this disease was not identified as a disease. It was identified more so as a choice. And unfortunately, when there is lots of miseducation. And I think that over the last two decades, we've seen a lot more education, a lot more points where we are ensuring that not just providers and those that are providing the service, but we also are ensuring that we're seeing heightened levels of education in our communities that goes to our municipal partnerships, locally, our state legislation, federally. So we we've seen a robust increase of education that has reduced some stigma. And ultimately, it has reduced the capacity that this genre of support service has to remain siloed or at best a peninsula, but more so giving folks an opportunity to come out of hiding, not be in a place of shame, but actually be okay with asking for help and accepting that help. We still have a long way to go. Stigma is still a challenge that most programs across the diaspora face, but we are in a much better place today than we were two decades ago. And we've been able to see that change and be a part of seeing that change happen in North Carolina. Fantastic.

Ken Huey 5:09

What are some of the biggest barriers people face when they're trying to access treatment?

Dr Ron Flack Jr 5:14

Well, one of the biggest barriers, of course, is knowing where to go. When we look at data, when we look at some of our work groups and some of the capacities where we've been able to track a person's ability to go into treatment, the spectrum of support services that are in a particular area, we know that our rural North Carolinians have the biggest challenge in this day and time, where there is less access to care. And so my hat goes off to North Carolina for seeing this as a problem and putting those particular proponents in place to support our North Carolinians who are in our rural areas. But again, some of those other attributes where there are barriers are some of the screening requirements, some of the requirements to even qualify for services. These are things that unfortunately we will continue to see even as we approach a time where there now will be some additional requirements for Medicaid eligibility. And there will be new work requirements that's coming as of January 1, 2027 for North Carolinians. And so this brings a screeching halt to many of us that are in this field that are serving North Carolinians that receive Medicaid, that there is going to be additional barriers that will be placed in front of people that may prevent them from being able to receive services timely. And so we truly are looking at best ways to support North Carolinians, both the insured and the uninsured, to make sure families are in the place to remain healed. That's the ultimate goal here, Ken, is to lead our most vulnerable to a place where they can heal safely.

Ken Huey 7:06

Ron, you've worked with a lot of regulatory agencies. You're talking about it now. What are the ways that they get in the way or what are some of the problems you're seeing come up right now?

Dr Ron Flack Jr 7:16

I do have to say our regulatory bodies are doing the very best that they can, considering some of the federal challenges that come to impede state legislation or state oversight in certain places. So I have to make sure that I give my hat off and take my hat off to those that we get an opportunity to serve with in those particular areas. But our regulatory bodies have one responsibility majorly, and that's to keep our population safe. They're coming in, making sure that we as providers, we are making sure that our program, making sure that the product that we are offering to our beneficiaries in our area, that it's quality, they're making sure we're maintaining and exceeding expectations of providing those services. I can't just look at it from one side of the spectrum. The other side of this is that we've had some bad representation of what providers should look like in other spaces. And so regulatory bodies have a responsibility to protect the public and from our municipal and local government where they offer support through funding programs, identifying those issues and problems that exist in local communities, and then setting the tone to answer that by bringing in providers to our regulatory bodies that actually license these providers to provide those services. There's a responsibility that we as providers have to ensure that we maintain. And so I can't get on a harping spoon to say that regulatory bodies are the problem. It is that they have a responsibility, and that's to protect the very essence of our population, and that as a provider, I have to ensure that I'm meeting the expectations that are required to provide a safe and supreme service to our most vulnerable.

Ken Huey 9:10

Follow-up question. Has the regulatory environment gotten more difficult over the last 10 years?

Dr Ron Flack Jr 9:17

I will say in certain sectors, yes. We know that across North Carolina, there have been some Medicaid cuts, and that's unfortunate. While there are Medicaid cuts, there are there have been little concession to still maintain regulatory expectations. And some regulatory expectations come with a cost. When we talk about advanced or enhanced training in certain areas, training can is not free. Again, that's just one line item on a pro forma for a budget that we have to manage and maintain across the spectrum of providing a service on a continuous basis. And so there are some things that we as providers have to continue to work through. We have to be savvy in looking at braided funding opportunities. Where can we look for additional funding support, whether it be grant opportunities that would then allow us to bring in some additional funding support to train staff to then leverage where maybe initially budget cuts or funding cuts have come and impacted our ability to be self-sustainable? There are some challenges there that we're seeing on that front and on that side. But again, any modifications or changes with our responsibilities of meeting and exceeding the expectations of our licensure have always come at some aspect of maintaining the safety, again, of our most vulnerable populations.

Ken Huey 10:48

All right. Let me pivot just a little bit and ask a little bit about faith and personal values. How does that influence your work in healing and transformation?

Dr Ron Flack Jr 10:58

Being a believer, Ken, number one, this is truly what I know and believe that I'm called to do, and that is to serve. I believe I can say it on this spectrum or on this forum. The greatest seat in the kingdom of God is that of a servant. And so believing that we are called to serve others, that truly is a major factor in why I even became a part of Volunteers of America, Chesapeake, and the Carolinas, grateful to serve as their vice president for the Carolinas region. And we are a church without walls. And what that means, Ken, is that while we are a 501c3 nonprofit church organization, we care more about ensuring that we are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ more than setting up a formal service on Sunday mornings. And so we take the aspects and the attributes and the characteristics, if you will, of what the Bible teaches. And then we implement that in the work that we do each and every day. And so our teams across North Carolina, we teach, we train to ensure that we are an example in various ways while not pushing our Christian faith, if you will, on individuals. Our teams are made up of various walks of life, various individuals. We respect all, we hire all, but ultimately we want to make sure we're serving with compassion. We're serving with respect and dignity and ensuring that we are an advocate for those that don't have a voice.

Ken Huey 12:35

What gives you hope? You're working with individuals and families that like they've just lost it. They've hit rock bottom. What gives you hope?

Dr Ron Flack Jr 12:42

What gives me hope, Ken, is that every day we have an opportunity. Lamentations tells us that every day we are given the gift of new mercy. And hope is given, I sense that there is an ongoing sense of hope when we continuously have an opportunity to serve. There is always a way to address an issue or problem. That's why I'm so grateful for collaborative efforts such as this that gives us an opportunity to connect, that someone may hear and see this, and that then spawns a new relationship, that I get to then utilize and leverage their expertise to help a family, to help a staff member, to help a team that we have. And ultimately, to me, that's the gift of hope that if we continue to believe in something greater beyond where we are, I truly believe we continue to not accept anything less than. And hope is something that continues to drive the factor ultimately that help is always near.

Ken Huey 13:46

So somebody is going to be listening to this and they're feeling overwhelmed. They're feeling stuck. What's one step that they can take toward healing today?

Dr Ron Flack Jr 13:57

I think the first step in moving toward healing is that we admit that we are powerless over the thing that we're facing and that we no longer want to be where we are. And once we accept that fact that we cannot do this on our own, the very next step is that I've got to have enough courage to ask for help. And I think that two-step process gets us to where we really need to be. There are organizations across the country that I have partnered with, connected with, that have the same desires that I do. And that is helping people that desire to be helped. And I will admit, Ken, there have been spaces in my life where I didn't know I even needed the help. I couldn't see it from where I was because when you're in something, sometimes it's a challenge to see that this is a real problem. It wasn't until I had someone that loved me enough to say, Flack, this is not your future. This is not where you're supposed to be. And it was at that time that I was able to identify this problem has gotten beyond me, and I really need to get into a space and place that I can be a better version of me. And so admitting that I can't do it on my own and having enough courage to ask for help, there are people just like me that truly want to ensure that those that need help get it.

Ken Huey 15:25

Ron, somebody's gonna want to know more about what you're saying or about your organization. How can they find you? Where would you point them? That's one question. Second is anything particular you would want to plug, something else that they should probably take a look at.

Dr Ron Flack Jr 15:38

Absolutely. Number one, Volunteers of America, Chesapeake in the Carolinas. We are online. We're on all social media platforms. You can type in Google search V-O-A, and that's Volunteers of America C C and that's Chesapeake in the Carolinas. So V O A C C. You can Google it, you can put it on social media. It's gonna come up. You can directly connect to us from that point. One of our staff members will reach back out to you and coordinate with you and ensure that you have direct access and connection to Volunteers of America, Chesapeake in the Carolinas. Please restate that second question to me.

Ken Huey 16:15

Yes, the second is just it sometimes I'll have folks that want to not just talk about their resources, but some particular resource they think is a fantastic thing for people to see. Not that you have to have something like that, but if you do, we'd want to know.

Dr Ron Flack Jr 16:29

Absolutely. There's always some new things on the horizon with Volunteers of America. And I hope I'm answering this question essentially. On all of our social media platforms, we're always constantly sharing the message of hope. Our affiliate chaplain, Jules Christian, she is one that's weekly sharing a message of hope, a message of empathy, a message of love. Because beyond our services, there is still a savior that loves us all. And so, with that packaged, with the hands and feet of those that do this work and those that serve in our populations and communities across North Carolina, our social media platforms give us an opportunity to capture that work. And so we get to connect with folks in that aspect and in that particular forum. We love to highlight our success stories. And so one of the things folks will always get to see through our social media platforms are real life individuals that are receiving active services and the response of how these services are impacting their lives. These are not paid individuals, these are individuals whose lives have been changed based upon the services. And so serving 62 counties out of 100 counties in North Carolina, we have about eight offices across North Carolina. Our footprint is fairly new in the South Carolina area. But across the board, we have 31 affiliates across the country. When we talk about Volunteers of America at large, so we are one of 31 affiliates that is inclusive of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. So we again have a large area of service that we've been providing. And so anyone can pull up a Volunteers of America across the country. You'll find one in your state, in your area. And again, we love to serve those that are in these.

Ken Huey 18:29

And Dr. Ron Flack Jr., thank you for a wide-ranging conversation and for the good that you're putting out into the world. We really appreciate talking to you.

Dr Ron Flack Jr 18:39

Absolutely. Ken, it's been our pleasure. And if the opportunity presents, and we look forward to partnering with you in the near future and with your audience on some new and up-and-coming opportunities that will be serving North Carolinians right here in the state of North Carolina.

Ken Huey 18:53

Thanks for joining us on The Voice of Hope. If you were inspired, share the light. And remember, hope's not just a feeling, it's a force. We'll see you next time.