Grassroots projects to increase advocacy among people in recovery and involve them in shaping the treatment delivery system received a big boost last fall from the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).CSAT awarded a total of $3.6 million to 19 programs nationally in November under the new Recovery Community Support Program (RCSP), intended to help people in recovery, their families and advocates provide input into treatment policies, programs and quality-assurance efforts at the state, regional and local levels.
"Especially in this era of managed care, where there's such strong emphasis on consumer involvement, it's critically important that people in recovery have the knowledge and skills to step up to that role," said Catherine Nugent, project officer for RCSP in CSAT's division of state and community assistance.
Funding went to programs that empower recovery organizations to participate in consumer-driven substance abuse policy development; promote linkages between recovery groups, people from self-help organizations, family-support groups and delivery systems; reduce stigma; foster financial independence and stability for recovery groups; and document their efforts as a guide for other recovery groups. Grantees included groups as diverse as the Santa Barbara (Calif.) Recovery Community Network -- an existing program that will provide input into local and state service-delivery systems -- and Colorado's Circle of Recovery Program, run by the Native American group White Bison, Inc., which will use traditional methods to train "community change agents," develop a Native American edition of AA's Big Book, and sponsor a recovery conference.
"The grantees are taking bold, innovative steps to organize and enable persons in recovery and their families to participate in decisions about substance abuse policy and programs," H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., director of CSAT, told Join Together. "We are confident that these consumer-driven efforts will help to improve the availability and quality of substance abuse treatment services."
Nugent said that advocacy efforts on behalf of people in recovery have been "spotty" over the years, but she said attention has risen recently. Nugent noted that treatment has increasingly been in the media spotlight, especially with PBS' recent Moyers on Addiction series. "I feel that this grant program is coming at the perfect time," she said.
CSAT hopes that the seed money distributed at both the state and local level will spark further development of grassroots advocacy programs for people in recovery. Each project is required to prepare a case study and analysis that can be used to document their progress. "We hope to elicit some lessons for the field," said Nugent. "That's a very important part of the program."
Advocacy for people in recovery can also draw upon important lessons from advocacy efforts in the mental health and HIV/AIDS fields, said Nugent. A groundswell of advocacy could lead to a stronger infrastructure and perhaps, eventually, institutionalized advocacy, such as that which the mental health field enjoys in state government. But Nugent also said that RCSP hopes to identify what's unique about substance abuse advocacy, such as the impact of stigma and the lingering perception that 12-step philosophy discourages activism.
Federal funding cannot be used directly for lobbying, Nugent stressed, but RCSP grantees can work to educate themselves about the legislative process, and educate policymakers about the need for treatment and related services.
Initial grantees, who received awards ranging from $100,000 to $375,000, were funded for a three-year period. Nugent said CSAT make make awards in FY2001 to fund additional advocacy projects.
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