Georgia Council on Substance Abuse Awarded $597,000 From SAMHSA
Building Communities of Recovery in Georgia
Tucker, Georgia – Georgia Council on Substance Abuse (GCSA) has been awarded $597,000 over the next three (3) years through the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Association’s (SAMHSA) Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act: Building Communities of Recovery grant program.
This funding supports expanding and enhancing recovery support services and peer recovery support services in Northeast Georgia for people in or seeking recovery from substance use disorders. The goals of the project include:
To increase the number of individuals served in rural communities by providing peer recovery coaching and support to Northeast Georgia Health System’s (NGHS) Lumpkin County emergency department. All individuals presenting to the Lumpkin emergency department will have access to a peer recovery coach.
To increase the number of pregnant mothers served, specifically those enrolled in Hall County Family Treatment Court (FTC), by providing quality peer recovery coaching and support.
To increase the number of pregnant mothers served, specifically those with active/ongoing cases at Hall County Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), by providing quality peer recovery coaching and support.
To improve outcomes for peers with Hall County Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) by developing and implementing trainings related to recovery from substance use disorder and peer recovery support services.
With support from Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), GCSA has worked to spread the hope of recovery by providing Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist (CARES/CPS-AD) training, RCO development and support, and public policy advocacy. To further aid in slowing the addiction crisis in Georgia, GCSA operates a recovery support warm-line, providing telephone peer support to people seeking or in recovery. This grant is an extension of the existing partnership with Northeast Georgia Health System. GCSA peer coaches currently support people who experience a substance use related incident by providing recovery coaching in three hospital emergency departments.
GCSA also has ongoing projects and partnerships with Georgia Department of Public Heath, Augusta University, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Fulton County Accountability Court, Clinton Foundation, the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Hazelden, Floridians for Recovery, Solano Recovery Project, and many other organizations and agencies.
“The voices of lived recovery experience in Georgia are everywhere and we are just beginning to tap into their strengths”, Georgia Council on Substance Abuse Executive Director Neil Campbell stated. “As more and more people speak out about what helps them on their recovery journeys, we see that long-term recovery is possible for everyone and then it becomes the expectation. The ‘Building Communities of Recovery’ grant will give recovery a bigger platform to spread hope and ultimately save lives.”
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For Additional Information:
Jeff Breedlove
Georgia Council on Substance Abuse
404-615-5735
