Oftentimes people who experience mental health or a substance use disorder feel isolated and alone. Yet, every year, millions of Americans experience these conditions, and it’s important to offer support to individuals facing these challenges.
Our Community Outreach partners do this so well by working tirelessly to create environments and relationships that promote acceptance, reduce stigma associated with substance use disorder and promote education and prevention. We are proud to support almost 420 of these partners across the nation, which include addiction support coalitions, civic groups, churches, foundations, health departments, law enforcement agencies and other invaluable organizations.
During Recovery Month, we’d like to highlight the efforts of a few our partners doing critical work as recovery advocates.
Davis Direction Foundation
The Davis Direction Foundation, is a Marietta, GA-based recovery community organization that fights addiction and fuels sobriety. The organization strives to remove the outdated stigma of opiate addiction and revamp the rehabilitation process to address the disease of opioid/heroin addiction as one of the most severe forms of addiction.
The Foundation provides direct assistance and services to individuals, family members and others at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose and is a safe place to seek, maintain, support and enjoy long-term recovery free from SUD.
Project Lazarus
Project Lazarus is a non-profit that provides training and technical assistance to communities and clinicians addressing prescription medication issues. Established in 2007 as a response to extremely high overdose mortality rates in Wilkes County, NC, the organization successfully and dramatically decreased Wilkes’ overdose mortality rate by devising and implementing a public health model based on the twin premises that overdose deaths are preventable and that all communities are responsible for their own health.
Using experience, data and compassion, the Project Lazarus team empowers communities and individuals to prevent overdoses and opioid poisonings, establish effective substance use and disease of addiction treatment and support and meet the needs of those living with pain.
Steuben Prevention Coalition 
Steuben Prevention Coalition, a non-profit in Bath, NY, that promotes healthy and safe communities by reducing alcohol and drug use among teens and young adults, established an Opioid Committee in 2019. Focused on raising awareness, data collection and supporting the reduction of opioid abuse, the Opioid Committee participates in the Regional Opioid Task Force. Partners include the Hornell Concern for Youth, Family Services Society, Steuben Council on Addictions and the Director of Steuben County Community Services, and support is provided by Catholic Charities of Steuben.
In addition to supporting people in overcoming addition and achieving sobriety, all these organizations recognize and support the power of prevention. This is especially important as more than 18 million people in the US over the age of 12 have misused medications at least once in the past year and 70% of people who abused prescription drugs say they got them from a family member or friend. One of the ways this is achieved is by educating and encouraging people to properly dispose of any unused, expired or unneeded medications so they won’t fall into the wrong hands.
Thank you to these organizations for all they do to make a difference for those experiencing mental health and substance use disorders! Together we can help others realize the promise of recovery and give families the right support to help their loved ones.
