With September being National Recovery Month, RWJBarnabas Health is putting the word out that it is dedicated to supporting New Jersey residents coping with addiction on their paths to recovery.
Several programs are available to the community year-round though RWJBarnabas Health’s Institute for Prevention and Recovery, including the system’s All Recovery Meetings. The meetings are available to anyone in the community who is in active recovery, has a loved one in active recovery and those who are generally interested in recovery support.
Facilitated by trained and certified IFPR peer recovery specialists, the meetings take place every week, Monday through Friday, and participants can join over the phone or online via Zoom. To date, more than 80,000 individuals have participated in All Recovery Meetings, with an average of 41 attendees per meeting. In June, IFPR also began offering Moms Healing Together All Recovery Meetings on Fridays for mothers in recovery.
“Recovery doesn’t happen alone. All Recovery Meetings have become a critical support network for the recovery community across the state, providing a virtual safe space for any individual interested in recovery support, either for themselves or a loved one,” Michael Litterer, vice president, RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery, said. “IFPR peer recovery specialists also offer participants a powerful perspective, drawing from their own lived experience coupled with their training to meet individuals where they are, encourage them to seek help and believe recovery is possible with the right support.”
RWJBarnabas Health’s peer recovery program provides 24/7 hospital-based recovery support services for all patients who present with substance use disorder, employing over 100 peer recovery specialists systemwide.
In active recovery from substance use disorder themselves for a minimum of four years or more, peer recovery specialists provide peer support as part of the full continuum of care that is provided for individuals in active addiction who accept help, which also includes clinical navigation and care management which continue in community-based settings.
“RWJBarnabas Health’s Institute for Prevention and Recovery’s peer recovery specialists, patient navigators and case managers take a whole-person, patient-centered approach to recovery and help empower them to address their substance use and any physical or emotional barriers to recovery. In doing so, we support our patients through all stages of recovery, together,” Litterer added.
Recovery Month is an annual celebration sponsored each September by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration designed to provide a platform to educate the public on substance abuse and to show that recovery is possible.