Policy Report on National Trends, Best Practices, and Evaluation of How Pennsylvania Can Improve its Recovery Environment – Read the full report here

The Pennsylvania Recovery Organizations Alliance is completing this Policy Report on National Trends, Best Practices and Evaluation Measures on how Pennsylvania can improve its recovery environment with the full knowledge of how much effort and dedication it has taken over many decades to develop and sustain the care system we currently have today. We thank our partners in the state government, county government and within the private sector for the tireless work to provide treatment and recovery opportunities to tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians over the years.

It is important to note that we have a long way to go before we have a system of care that fully meets the needs of our communities. We are beginning to recognize as a nation that addiction is the most significant public health issue of our millennia. As noted by the White House Office of Economic Advisors, the opioid epidemic is of such proportions that it reduces our Gross Domestic Product. Alcoholism still kills more Americans annually than opioids. Our correctional systems are filled with persons there because of a substance use disorder, and substance use conditions drive medical expenditures. The magnitude of the problem is overwhelming, yet treatment and recovery efforts are dwarfed by the costs of the consequences of addiction.

Despite these daunting facts, we also know that millions of Americans have found their way into long-term recovery from a substance use disorder. We know that stable, long-term recovery is not only possible, but highly probable across the life span. It is time that we redesign our systems of care to reflect the needs of those of us with a substance use disorder and our families around a five-year care model. Persons in recovery and our family allies are critically important collaborative partners in the design, implementation and evaluation of any effective care system. We are deeply excited about the innovative things that are occurring across the nation and beyond. There is tremendous potential to strengthen our system here in Pennsylvania to improve the recovery environment for our community. Among other opportunities and innovative ideas included in this report, we identify:

• The importance of developing long-term care models;
• The importance of hope, connectedness and purpose in the recovery process;
• The importance of acknowledging the rights of persons with a substance use disorder;
• The emerging role of family peer support services;
• The need to design care around the needs of our young people; and
• Innovative programs that leverage the talents and skills of the recovery community to change lives and restore community.

We look forward to being collaborative partners in transforming our system to meet the needs of our communities for the next generation.

Thank you,

William Stauffer, LSW, CCS, CADC
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Recovery Organizations Alliance