1. NEW YORK STATE RECOVERY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Presented by Betty Currier, CASAC, CPP Consultant, Council on Addictions of NYS Board Member & Northeast Regional Rep. Faces & Voices of Recovery Friends of Recovery NY Steering Committee Friends of Recovery NY Steering Committee

2. NY RECOVERY MOVEMENT Beginnings through the 90s Mutual support groups Network of community-based councils Affiliates of National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) Affiliates of National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) Information and referral Information and referral Varying advocacy efforts Varying advocacy efforts Treatment-based alumni associations

3. BEGINNINGS OF ADVOCACY 2000 -2006 BEGINNINGS OF ADVOCACY 2000 -2006 2000: Long Island Recovery Advocates (LIRA) formed 2000: Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties formed 2004: Friends and Voices of Recovery Westchester formed Provided first recovery advocacy trainings Leaders in civic engagement campaigns 2001: St. Paul Summit launches Faces & Voices of Recovery

4. NY RECOVERY MOVEMENT 2000 -2006 NYS OASAS has a Recovery Bureau under Division of Treatment and Prevention 2001: Federal government’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Recovery Community Services Program begins funding grantees in New York state. Council on Addictions of NYS (CANYS)2001 SpeakOUT: LGBT Voices of Recovery2001 Group Ministries, Inc. Buffalo2003 AIDS Service Center of Lower Manhattan2003 Syracuse Recovery Project2003, 2006 Syracuse Recovery Project2003, 2006 Peer to Peer, New York City2004 National Alliance of Methadone Advocates2006

5. Council on Addictions of NYS RCSP Activities Several small upstate recovery advocacy groups, supported by councils, are formed Struggles, in rural areas particularly, with anonymity issues, insufficient funds Grant ended in 2003 when RCSP’s focus shifted from advocacy to peer service delivery, because local programs were not structured for peer-based services at that time A few groups, connected with CANYS organizations and Faces & Voices of Recovery, continued efforts to be a voice for recovery

6. NY RECOVERY MOVEMENT 2006 Faces & Voices of Recovery Positive influence Resources and leadership spur activity Existing recovery support organizations continue Varied structures Little connection/communication Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties begins development of The Turning Point Recovery Center

7. NYS OASAS Paradigm Shift 2007 - 2008 NYS OASAS Paradigm Shift 2007 - 2008 NYS OASAS establishes Recovery Bureau under new Division of Prevention and Recovery Prevention, Treatment, Recovery Equal – Integrated - Indispensable September 2007: Recovery Forums Speakers from the recovery community include: Phillip Valentine, CT Mark Ames, VT Mark Helijas, VT Betty Currier, NY January 2008: Recovery Services Implementation Team forms April 2008: OASAS hosts recovery community focus groups across the state

8. RECOVERY COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION Recovery community represented on Recovery Services Implementation Team committees Integrating Prevention and Recovery Planning for Recovery Conference Data Collection Recovery Centers Non-partisan Civic Engagement Recovery Community Centers

9. NY RECOVERY COMMUNITY ORGANIZES STATEWIDE Guiding Principles/Beliefs A statewide recovery community organization must be a key participating partner A statewide recovery community organization must be a key participating partner A statewide recovery community organization must be a separate but equal entity that can represent the views of the recovery community in planning and implementations A statewide recovery community organization must be a separate but equal entity that can represent the views of the recovery community in planning and implementations Our voice is a critical component in all discussions Our voice is a critical component in all discussions All pathways to recovery must be embraced and included All pathways to recovery must be embraced and included Issues of stigma/discrimination related to specific recovery issues must be addressed Issues of stigma/discrimination related to specific recovery issues must be addressed

10. STEPS TAKEN TO DATE A steering committee was formed and met on April 4, 2008 to form Friends of Recovery New York 25 people representing: Many pathways of recovery Many pathways of recovery Ethnicities Ethnicities Areas of the state Areas of the state Age and gender Age and gender Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo informed of our activities and plans

11. DRAFT MISSION AND VISION WHO “Friends of Recovery - NY is comprised of NYS residents who are in long-term recovery from addiction, their families, friends and allies. We represent all sectors of the community, all regions of the state, and the numerous and diverse paths to recovery. We actively organize and mobilize the recovery community so as to speak effectively with one voice.”

12. DRAFT MISSION AND VISION WHAT “Our mission is to demonstrate the power and proof of recovery from addictions and its value to individuals, families and communities throughout NYS and the nation. We actively seek to advance public policies and practices that promote and support recovery.”

13. DRAFT MISSION AND VISION WHY “We envision a world in which recovery from addiction is both a commonplace and a celebrated reality, a world in which the entire spectrum of effective prevention, treatment and recovery support services are available and accessible to all who might benefit from them.”

14. AGREED UPON ACTION STEPS Three committees formed Organizational Structure committee to begin incorporation process and draft proposal for operational structure Education committee to draft a proposal for marketing FOR-NY Advocacy committee to draft a proposal of how to advance public policies that will support recovery and eliminate discrimination Advocacy committee to draft a proposal of how to advance public policies that will support recovery and eliminate discrimination

15. CURRENT ACTIONS Friends of Recovery – NY incorporated Sub-groups meeting via conference call Plans being made for follow-up face-to-face meeting GOAL: Launch statewide organization in September 2008

16. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS OASAS releases RFI for developing recovery community centers OASAS meeting with key people from NYS recovery movement to discuss plans for creating recovery community centers FOR-NY as possible home for recovery community center initiative

17. IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS Setting up committee on recovery community centers Developing a proposal for selecting, funding, developing and supporting recovery community centers across NYS that would have FOR-NY as the fiscal agent Publicizing the OASAS RFI regarding recovery center development

18. SO, HERE WE ARE The largest addictions services delivery system in the US – New York state - embraced a recovery-oriented system of care. The recovery community in NYS is organizing and establishing itself as the advocate and voice for individuals with addictions and their families Recovery-oriented systems of care: linking the service system with the recovery community; linking the people being served with the systems that can serve each individual most effectively Coming together to support long-term recovery from addictions