81,000 + New Record Overdose Deaths

The complicating factors surrounding the current COVID-19 situation and substance use disorder treatment and recovery seem insurmountable. Again, this last year, another record number of overdose deaths. 81,000 + (as per C.D.C. Dec 2020 report – Overdose Deaths Accelerating During COVID-19)

There will be money coming to help.

But how will it be allocated? Will it reach the most vulnerable?

For example, there is a baseline, fundamental misunderstanding of community based recovery support.

Independent Recovery Support

Fact: Independent recovery support is an essential part of the continuum. “INDEPENDENT” and authentic recovery support.

These are organizations that are not run by the government, not run by clinical providers, NOT part of the larger state drug and alcohol system or the local county “authority”.

Recovery Community Organizations, Recovery Housing, Recovery High Schools, and Collegiate Recovery Organisations for example.

Short-Changed

When the funding is “run” through the traditional infrastructure (single state authority/Drug and Alcohol Commission) these grassroots organizations get short-changed.

With the exception of a small number of states–less than 5% will ever work its way “down” to street level organizations.

Back in Washington, SAMHSA and the officials are given reports that 20% or more went to “recovery”.

But NO ONE in Washington even knows what that means.

They think putting a peer support staff in the IOP group is funding “recovery support”.

For example, there are very, very clear definitions of Recovery Community Organizations.

There is an Association of Recovery Community Organizations. 150 plus members.

YOU CAN NOT BE A CLINICAL PROVIDER AND BE AN RCO.

It’s literal in the definition of an Recovery Community Organization.

But no one in Washington (or in any given state government) understands that and people just go on blindly.

Thinking the money went to “recovery”.

Funding Needs To Hit The Streets

There will be no progress in this fight until a massive amount of funding hits the street.

Until a massive INDEPENDENT recovery system is funded. And I simply do not see that happening.

It would require too many people to give up too much power.

Solutions

We will need a coalition of wealthy funders, and or social-entrepreneurs.

We need them to come together and fund a scalable model OUTSIDE of the confines of the bureaucracy. youturn exists to be part of that solution.

FAVOR Greenville exists to be part of that solution.

It’s exhausting. But I feel like incremental progress will not get it done.

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