Recovery Lessons from US Cities

• Peter Rainford

• peterjrainford@yahoo.co.uk

• www.peterrainford.wordpress.com• Contains 40 film clips plus blog posts from my

Churchill Fellowship in the USA• In Feb 2011 an interactive report of my

fellowship, including over 100 film clips and links to all project visited, will be available to view and download from the website

40 Film clips can be viewed @ www.peterrainford.wordpress.com

Contents

• The New Recovery Movement

• Peer led Recovery Centres in Action

• Telephone Recovery Support

• Recovery Centre Lessons

• Advocacy & Peer Support

• Specialist Services• Leadership & service

transformation in Philadelphia

• 4 Quick wins• Pioneers• Credits & Thanks

The New Recovery Movement

• William White puts the new US Recovery movement in its historical context

• http://peterrainford.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/the-new-recovery-movement-%E2%80%93-william-white/

Features of the New Recovery Movement

• There are many pathways to Recovery & all are a cause for celebration - Co-operation

• Recovery is a voluntary, individual, self directed journey

• Recovery is a reality and it’s contagious• Recovery should be available to anyone• Put a face on recovery and widen the gateway

into it 20 million Americans in Recovery - rather than “celebrity rehab”)

• Services must change to provide choice and individual support (both acute and long term)

The Recovery community must be at the heart of these changes

• A Recovery Bill of Rights

Peer Led Recovery Centres in Action

http://peterrainford.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/every-city-should-hav-one-bridgeport-fil

/

http://peterrainford.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/what-can-we-do-to-help-you-in-your-recovery/

Telephone Recovery Support

• Began in Connecticut in 2005 with 22 recipients

• 1,100 people enrolled last year

• 4,000 people received service since 2007

• Weekly Recovery support phone call

• Made by Recovery peers (voluntary but trained)

• Offered to everyone leaving treatment

At 12 weeks post treatment TRS sobriety rate is 82%

Recovery Centre Lessons

Phil Valentine & William White say

that the leadership

MUSTcome from people

in recovery• http://peterrainford.wordpress.com/

2010/10/30/phil-valentine-on-setting-up-a-recovery-community-centre/

• http://peterrainford.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/william-white-on-community-recovery-centres/

Advocacy & Peer Support

“A Recovery Community Centre is not treatment, nor is it just peer support services”

Pat Taylor Faces & voices of Recovery

http://peterrainford.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/recovery-support-and-advocacy-in-washington-dc/

PRO-ACT - Pennsylvania Recovery Organization-Achieving Community Together

11

Five strategies to support our belief & Five

volunteer-driven committees with common goals:

AmendsIn Action

EducatingThe

Community

Recreation&

Celebration

PublicPolicy

RecoverySupport Services

Reduce stigma, Give back to community & Build relationships with different populations

12

Family works together to reduce stigma

HabitatFor

Humanity

Amends in Action

13

Suitcases for Kids

The whole community bought into project

Minimal time & effort

Easily duplicated in other areas

Amends in Action

14

Family Education Program:

One of PRO-ACT’s first One of PRO-ACT’s first outreach efforts – started outreach efforts – started in 2001.in 2001.

It is an education program It is an education program for families of those for families of those addicted to alcohol or addicted to alcohol or other Provides a direct other Provides a direct service needed within service needed within communitycommunity

Volunteers act as Volunteers act as educators and mentors educators and mentors

Project can be duplicated Project can be duplicated in other areasin other areas

Reduces stigma & Reduces stigma & increases understanding increases understanding of diseaseof disease

drugs3 session program- runs drugs3 session program- runs monthly in 6 sites throughout monthly in 6 sites throughout Southeast PASoutheast PA

Educating the Community

15

Activities have included:

Recovery DayPicnic

New Year’sEve

Comedy Show

Tree of Hope

Recovery Walks!!

BaseballInitiative

Celebration/Recreation Committee

Recovery Walk 2010

17

National Night Out’s Baseball Initiative

Celebration/Recreation Committee

18

Tree of HopeCelebration/Recreation Committee

Doug Gould presents Dan Haigh with the Tom Nelson Award for exceptional work as a volunteer

19

Members will meet

with legislators & attend rallies

Help run a voter

RegistrationCampaign

PRO-ACT Members

serve on ConsumerBoards

Plan Legislator’sBreakfast

Peer Leadership

Academy

Public Policy Committee

Hold focus groups &

identify issues through consumer

satisfaction surveys

Sit in on Policy meetings

Public Policy work

• Peer Leadership Academy- trains zip code leaders on a college accredited course

• Sitting in on Senate hearings

Philly Recovery Centre Services

• Recovery planning• Recovery coaching• Computer skills building/job skills• Assistance in finding housing, educational, job readiness,

employment opportunities• Assistance in building constructive family and personal

relationships• 12 ongoing Life skill building programs • Health and wellness activities• Assistance managing systems (e.g., health care, criminal justice,

child welfare)• Alcohol and drug-free social/recreational activities• Spiritual/faith-based support• Discussion groups

Women’s Services

• Power Inside Baltimore

• New Pathways for Women

• Women House of HUGS

• Chances

Veterans Services

• Samaritan Village New York

• What began as a veterans club and a special group has now grown into two, innovative treatment programs providing specialized services to 98 male veterans.

• A specialist women’s veterans treatment programme has just opened

LGBT Services

• Centre Care Recovery

• New York Gay Center

• LGBT services in Philadelphia

• http://peterrainford.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/recovery-rainbow-lgbt-recovery-services-new-york/

• http://peterrainford.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/recovery-rainbow-lgbt-recovery-services-new-york/

Leadership & Service Transformation in Philadelphia

• Personal Recovery Planning• Asset based • Chronic not acute• Choice from menu of services• People in Recovery at heart of

service design and delivery

http://peterrainford.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/transformng-philadelphia%E2%80%99s-recovery-services-why-what-how/

http://peterrainford.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/a-gift-from-philadelphia%E2%80%A6-and-an-offer-of-help/

“I used to drive the bus. Now I just sit at the back and pay for

the gas”Dr Roland Lamb

Director of Addiction Recovery Services Philadelphia

And Also…

• Drug Courts• NIJ’s Multi state Adult

drug court evaluation• Moral Reconation

Therapy• Re-integration

programmes New York

• Recovery Housing• Oxford House

movement• University of Chicago

study• TRS study (CT)• Recovery house

rating

4 Quick Wins

1. 3 things a friend would say you are good at

2. Trees of Hope & rocks of inspiration

3. Telephone Recovery Support

4. Recovery Wristband

“By hiding our recovery we have sustained the most

harmful myth about addiction disease- that it is hopeless. And without the example of

recovering people it is easy for the public to continue to think that the victims of addiction

disease are moral degenerates… We are the

lucky ones, the ones who got well. And it is our responsibility

to change the terms of the debate for the sake of those

who still suffer.”Former US Senator Harold Hughes

A Big Thank you to:• The Winston Churchill

Memorial Trust for their funding

• Everyone in the US who made me so welcome and gave so generously of their time

• All those in the UK who suggested places, people & projects to visit and questions to ask

• Ellen Roach for planting the seed