OMHSAS Advisory
Committee
January 4, 2006
Beverly Haberle
Our History, Our Purpose:
PRO-ACT, Pennsylvania Recovery Organization - Achieving
Community Together, was formed in 1998 by Bucks County
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, which has been
providing prevention, intervention, and recovery support
services in the community for 31 years.
PRO-ACT, is a grassroots advocacy initiative founded to
promote the rights of - and ensure opportunities for - those still
suffering from the disease of addiction, members of the recovery
community, and their family members who wish to advocate in
southeastern Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware,
Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties.)
Defining the Recovery
Community
12 Step
Programs
Women for
Sobriety
Recovery
Community
Other
Medication
Management
Grassroots
Organizations
Family
Faith
Based
Mobilizing Model
Engage
Educate
Activate
Support
SUPPORTING PEOPLE
IN RECOVERY
Building Communities of Recovery


Long history of mutual support groups like
AA/NA/faith-based groups
Bridging gaps between professional/clinical
treatment and long-term recovery
 Providing holistic community-based support
services enhances treatment outcomes.
(McLellan, 2003; Work Group on Substance
Abuse Self-Help Organizations, 2003)
PEER RECOVERY
SUPPORT SERVICES


Peer support services are not professional treatment or
post-treatment services provided by professionals.
They are support services from people in recovery or
their family members who share the lived experiences of
addiction and recovery.






Improve quality of life
Prevent relapse
Promote sustained, long-term recovery
Help people initiate and/or sustain recovery from alcohol
and other drug problems.
Guide individuals into the recovery community
Help individuals who relapse back into treatment and
recovery supports.
SUPPORTING PEOPLE
IN RECOVERY
Building Communities of Recovery

Help people, in their communities, initiate and sustain
recovery and gain overall wellness by reengaging with
their families, friends and neighbors.


Ongoing community support is important to sustaining
recovery (White, 2000; 2002).
Maintain effective, formal linkages with community
resources to support …recovery.

Providing Recommendation from National Academy of
Sciences Institute of Medicine report crossing the Quality
Chasm: Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental
and Substance-Use Conditions, 2005.
Peer to Peer Recovery
Support Services
Peer-Driven
Peer-Delivered
Recovery Community
Organizations like
PRO-ACT…
Recovery
Community
Treatment
Community
…Bridge the Gap
…My clients don’t hit bottom; they live on
the bottom. If we wait for them to hit
bottom, they will die. The obstacle to
their engagement in treatment is not an
absence of pain; it is an absence of
hope.
--Outreach Worker
(Quoted in White, Woll, & Webber, 2003)
Five strategies to support our belief &
Five volunteer-driven committees with common
goals:
Reduce stigma, Give back to community &
Build relationships to strengthen recovery
Amends
In Action
Educating
The
Community
Recreation
&
Celebration
Public
Policy
Recovery
Support
Services
Amends in Action
Family works together to
Habitat
for
Humanity
reduce stigma
Amends in Action
Suitcases
For Kids
 The whole
community bought
into project
 Minimal time &
effort
 Easily duplicated in
other areas
Educating the Community:
Dispelling myths about recovery and help bridge the
gaps in education and resources.
Educating the Community
•
Speaker’s Bureau - become a trained volunteer who
introduces PRO-ACT’s message and giving back
opportunities at various venues.
•
National Alcohol Screening Day - get trained to plan and
implement free, educational alcohol screenings for
National Alcohol Screening Day (April 6th)
•
Distribute and advertise helpful community resources,
including PRO-ACT’s 24 hr. Information telephone
recovery support.
•
Consumer Guides
•
Family Program – (see next slide)
Educating the Community
Family Education Program:
 One of PRO-ACT’s first outreach




efforts – started in 2001.
It is an education program for families
of those addicted to alcohol or other
drugs (nearly 800 families have
attended).
Provides a direct service needed
within community
Volunteers act as educators and
mentors
Project can be duplicated in other
areas
 Reduces stigma & increases
understanding of disease
 Provides practical skill building and
resources.
Celebration/Recreation
Committee:
Bringing the recovery community together
Celebration/Recreation Committee
Activities :
Recovery
Walks!!
Recovery Day
Picnic
Baseball
Initiative
Comedy Show
Tree of Hope
New Year’s
Eve
Public Policy Committee:
Provide a voice for the Recovery Community
through political venues
(i.e. educating policy makers, community
members and the recovery population)
Public Policy Committee
Members will
meet
with legislators
& attend rallies
PRO-ACT
Members
serve on Consumer
Boards
Sit in on Policy
meetings
Learn about
and
encforce
ACT 106
Plan Legislator’s
Breakfast
Help run a
voter
Registration
Campaign
Hold focus
groups &
identify issues
through
consumer
satisfaction
surveys
Public Policy Committee
Learn about
and
encforce
ACT 106
Advocates for Act 106
What Act 106 states:
Insurance companies must provide as
minimum treatment:
Up to 7 days detox per calendar year (28 days lifetime)
30 days inpatient care per calendar year (90 days lifetime)
30 outpatient visits per calendar year (120 visits lifetime)
Public Policy Committee
Hold focus
groups &
identify issues
through
consumer
satisfaction
surveys
Making a difference
through the use of focus groups &
consumer satisfaction surveys:
 Members have a voice
 Have impact on system change
 Results are communicated through consumer and
family advisory boards
 Results are communicated to providers
Recovery Support Services:
Making a difference through support
Support Services
Programs include:
 Mentor Plus – Prison Project
 Career Transition
 Safe Sober Housing
 24 hr. Information/Support
 12 Session Life Skills Program
 Recovery Coaching
Opportunities
Developed first gender-specific Community
recovery Center in the nation.
National Ethics Guidelines for Peer
Specialists/Recovery Coaches/Mentors.
Regional coordination of nation-wide HBO
special on addiction to air March, 2007.
Pennsylvania is highlighted throughout the
show.
RECOVERY SUPPORT
SERVICES

Recovery skills development


Sober social activities


Recreational activities, dances
Community center


Stress reduction, spirituality/meditation, expressive
arts
Drop-in resource
Leadership

Volunteering, providing peer supports
PEER RECOVERY
SUPPORT SERVICES
One-on-One support


Group Support


Emotional, educational, and spiritual support, life
skills
Resource connection


Recovery Coaching, mentoring
Help with housing, food, clothing, transportation
General skill development

Education, vocational, employment
Co-Occurring Disorders
A recent snapshot of 14 clients who received support services
through the Recovery Center showed:
13 received at least 1 Mental Health (MH) diagnosis in addition to
their Drug and Alcohol diagnosis. Of these 13:
8 had one MH diagnosis
5 had more than one MH diagnosis (2 had 2 diagnoses, 1 had 3
diagnoses, 2 had 4 diagnoses):
10 MH diagnoses of bipolar disorder
4 MH diagnoses of major depression
3 MH diagnoses of severe anxiety disorder
1 MH diagnosis of PTSD
1 MH diagnosis of ADHD/1 diagnosis of ADD
1 MH diagnosis of panic attacks
Housing Support
Recovery House Association
Resource List
Consumer Guide to Sober Housing
Recovery Support Brings
Resources Together!
Recovery Coaching
Community Recovery Capital
Information
Case Management
Life Skills
Access to local and national resources
MOMS Program/P-CAP
Motivational Enhancement
FASD Prevention
Early Intervention
Supportive Living Environment
Comprehensive Women’s Services: Helping
Women Access and Sustain Recovery
FASD Prevention
Parent-Child Assistance Program via the MOMS
Program
Recovery Coaching by PRO-ACT volunteers
Life Skills by PRO-ACT volunteers
Supportive Living Environment
Motivational Interviewing and Enhancement
Therapy for Early Intervention
Community-Based Recovery Support
Woman-to-Woman Telephone Support
Recovery Coaching: one-on-one peer
coaching and support
Life Skills: weekly programs open to
residents and the community covering
various topics important to those in
recovery
Supportive Living Environment &
Community-Based Support: connecting
women with staff, volunteers, and
members of the community to build and
strengthen a recovery support network
Early Intervention: Services for women
who are using or abusing alcohol or other
drugs or in risk of relapse
Coordination with Case Management:
through MOMS and other staff members
Volunteer- Facilitated Life
Skills Program Topics
Understanding Your
Illness
Recovery 101
Sustaining Recovery
Taking Care of
Yourself
Impact of Addiction
on the Family
Women’s Health
Fitness
Employability
Money Management
Credibility
Spirituality
Nutrition
This model will be replicated in Lower Bucks County
Recovery Coaches Provide:
An additional source of support and
assistance for women
A peer-based perspective from another
woman in recovery
One-on-one review of Life Skills sessions
to figure out “what this means to me”
An opportunity for women to build a
healthy relationship with a peer
Recovery Support Services
Newly Recovering:
Having a Recovery
Coach
Life Skills beginnings
Help with housing
Getting that GED
Job readiness
Health Management
Meeting sober friends
Maintaining Recovery:
Being a Recovery
Coach
Life skills growing
Spiritual growth
Going to college
Career counseling
Health, wellness focus
Keeping sober friends
Recovery Community Members
Guide and Participate In:
Leadership Training
Policy Development
Topic/Program Development
Problem Solving Processes
CHALLENGES
A new approach
Coordination with Treatment Providers
Available Funding
Ongoing support and supervision for peers,
providing one on one activities
Time needed to mobilize, train, and support
recovery community into a high functioning
entity
Support Services
Mentor Plus
•73 individuals have been mentored since the
inception of the program in 2003.
•Year one, 25 mentees, 3 either relapsed/reincarcerated (12%)
•Year two, 25 mentees, 5 either
relapsed/reincarcerated. (20%)
•Year three, 22 mentees, data still being
collected.
(National average recidivism rate for same
population, 60% or higher)
PRO-ACT TODAY:
• Over 8500 participants
• 2,538 members
• Over 300 volunteers
• Over 259 new registered voters this year
• Recovery Community is engaged in advocacy,
peer driven problem identification, and
resolution.
• Provide one on one direct support.
For More Information,
Contact:
Beverly Haberle, M.H.S., L.C.A.C.
Project Director
PRO-ACT
215-345-6644, extension 3106
bhaberle@bccadd.org