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Partners for Recovery releases report on the proceedings of the National Summit on Recovery from Substance Use Disorders

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Office of Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) co-hosted the National Summit on Recovery from Substance Use Disorders in 2010. It was intended to assess the progress made since the 2005 Recovery Summit and the remaining work to be done. This time participants integrated the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its creation of national health care reform into its effort advancing Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) and recognized it will have a major impact in promoting resiliency and recovery and inclusion of behavioral health care to support wellness and recovery. PFR assisted in planning the meeting, preparing materials, facilitating and recording break-out group sessions, and writing the final report. For more information, see the report on the proceedings of the National Summit on Recovery from Substance Use Disorders (61pp, PDF, 1.5MB).

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Partners for Recovery develops a Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) Resource Guide

The Partners for Recovery (PFR) Initiative supports the development of Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC). PFR prepared a comprehensive "Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) Resource Guide" (30pp, PDF, 1.1MB) to assist policy makers and treatment and recovery providers with enhancing prevention, treatment, and recovery services in an evolving health care environment. This Guide outlines steps for planning and implementing ROSC and aligns the tenets of national health care reform to the history, framework, and benefits of ROSC. To facilitate efforts to organize and establish ROSC, readers will find website links to valuable resources in each section of the guide, such as research studies, manuals, white papers, practice guides, and conference presentations.

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Partners for Recovery produces report on pathways to healing and recovery from alcohol and drug problems

To inform stakeholders and the public about the process of recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs, PFR produced a report, "Pathways to Healing and Recovery: Perspectives from Individuals with Histories of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems" (39pp, PDF, 975KB). This report summarizes qualitative findings from focus groups and in-depth interviews with individuals in recovery. It describes individuals' unique journeys through recovery as well as specific facets of the healing process: the terminology that individuals in recovery use to describe their experiences; the range of recovery pathways that exist; and the barriers to and supports for successful recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. This document offers insight into the varied perspectives and trajectories of people in recovery.

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Partners for Recovery prepares report on State activities and resources for returning veterans

PFR and the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) prepared a report entitled, "Addressing the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Needs of Returning Veterans and Their Families: The Training Needs of State Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies and Providers" (74pp, PDF, 2.2MB). It investigates the training, outreach, and resources offered by Single State Agencies (SSAs) in charge of drug and alcohol treatment and prevention services to meet the needs of returning veterans and their families. Data for the report was collected from nine States identified as conducting a high level of substance use disorder activities targeting veterans. This report provides data trends in the number of veterans who sought admission to publicly funded treatment centers from 2000 to 2007. Case studies of each State selected for the report are also included, which detail the perceived training needs of substance use disorder treatment providers who endeavor to improve service delivery and address the complex experiences of veterans and their family members.

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Partners for Recovery releases White Paper examining military culture

"Understanding the Military: The Institution, the Culture, and the People" (38pp, PDF, 1.4MB) offers an overview of the practices and individuals that comprise the Armed Forces as well as techniques for treating military personnel in behavioral health settings. In light of ongoing military action overseas, mental health and addictions treatment clinicians are faced with an influx of soldiers and veterans in need of professional services and care. This White Paper is a helpful resource for those who want to acquire a fundamental understanding of military service and the effects of combat. The document is also a useful tool for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment professionals who currently treat or intend to work with members of the Armed Forces and their families.

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Partners for Recovery introduces an environmental scan of minority workforce recruitment

Workforce recruitment and retention continue to present challenges for the addictions treatment and recovery field. Not only is there a lack of personnel to meet the demand for treatment and recovery services, but also the professionals that provide services often do not share the same demographic characteristics (e.g., ethnicity, race, gender) as the individuals they serve. To address these pressing issues PFR compiled an environmental scan entitled, "Minority Recruitment for the 21st Century: An Environmental Scan" (66pp, PDF, 1.9MB). This document draws upon academic literature, trade publications, unpublished papers, and Web sites to identify the current status of diversity in the addictions workforce, the challenges involved in bringing minorities into the treatment and recovery field, and promising recruitment practices.

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Partners for Recovery releases environmental scan of measures of recovery

Quality and accountability have become of paramount importance in the current health care arena. There is constant demand for performance measures that can reliably measure the quality of service delivery, provide accountability, and yield valid results. Because they are research-based and outcome-driven, recovery-oriented systems of care (ROSC) require ongoing monitoring and feedback to drive systems improvement. However, to date there has been a dearth of information regarding the status of recovery measures and their use in the addiction field. PFR’s "Environmental Scan of Measures of Recovery" (63pp, PDF, 919KB) identifies and describes the development, psychometric properties and uses of measures of recovery in the field. This information is supplemented by a review of selected measures of recovery from other chronic conditions, including mental health disorders.

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Partners for Recovery updates PFR Fact Sheet

PFR seeks to improve services and systems of care and supports, and provides technical resources to those who deliver services to prevent and treat addictions and mental health conditions. The updated PFR Fact Sheet (4pp, PDF, 155KB) highlights distinctive features of the PFR initiative, its approach to improving services and systems of care, its most recent accomplishments and future outcomes.

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Partners for Recovery releases report on financing of Recovery Support Services (RSS)

Partners for Recovery has developed a report on funding Recovery Support Services (RSS) entitled, "Financing Recovery Support Services: Review and Analysis of Funding Recovery Support Services and Policy Recommendations" (51pp, PDF, 1.2MB). RSS are nonclinical services that assist individuals and families working toward recovery from substance use conditions. This report provides an overview and analysis of Federal, State, and private funding streams currently used to fund RSS, and it identifies RSS offered through various funding streams. The report also makes recommendations on how laws and regulations can be changed to allow States greater authority, flexibility, and resources to provide RSS throughout the continuum of care to individuals and families.

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Partners for Recovery produces another activities update!

Partners for Recovery developed another activities update to highlight the progression of project work and activities. To check out these activities, see Partners for Recovery Update (2pp, PDF, 189KB).

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Partners for Recovery releases Know Your Rights Brochure for individuals in Medication-Assisted Treatment

Individuals in Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) often face discrimination despite laws that plainly prohibit it. This discrimination is largely due to lack of knowledge about MAT’s value, effectiveness and safety, and a lack of knowledge about the anti-discrimination laws that protect people in MAT. The "Medication-Assisted Treatment Know Your Rights Brochure" (21pp, PDF, 415KB) presents and explains the Federal laws that prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities and how they protect people receiving Medication-Assisted Treatment for opioid addiction. This brochure aims to reduce discrimination by giving people in MAT (and their advocates) basic information necessary to exercise their rights or, at a minimum, know where to turn for help. It also seeks to reduce discrimination by educating those who might discriminate (e.g., employers, housing providers, and government agencies) about such laws, as well as about MAT itself.

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Partners for Recovery releases recruitment advertisement and instructions for recruiting addictions professionals to the field

Workforce development is a core component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's (CSAT's) Partners for Recovery (PFR) initiative. Based on the recommendations from the 2006 "Strengthening Professional Identity: Challenges of the Addictions Treatment Workforce" report, a primary focus of PFR's recruitment efforts is to increase the number of certified alcohol and drug counselors, as well as enhance recruitment strategies to attract professionals to the addictions treatment field.

In 2008, the PFR initiative developed a Recruiting and Hiring Manual for Addictions Professionals, illustrating how marketing techniques can be used for successful recruiting. Recommendations were informed by focus group findings that revealed that the main message in a recruitment effort should be, "Working in addictions treatment allows one to fulfill oneself while (and because) one is helping others change their lives".

Based on the main message and through a series of advertisement testing and field testing, PFR developed a compelling graphic design for the addictions treatment field that can be downloaded and customized by inserting the name of any organization on the graphic. For more information on the "Recruitment Advertisement" (1p, PDF, 347KB) and "Instructions" (1p, PDF, 17KB), please see the Workforce Development page.

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