Conclusion
CSAT has seen a significant return on its investment. Consider the following highlights from this report:
- Since the kits were first developed in 1996, the demand for them has grown from 20,000 to more than 50,000 annually. The number of web site hits for the kit has increased from 65,262 in 1998 to 152,385 in 2000.
- There is an ever-increasing number of proclamations issued each year. In 2000, CSAT added Senator Paul Wellstone, Representative Jim Ramstad, the governors of 13 states, and the mayors of 10 cities to the list of elected officials proclaiming Recovery Month in September.
- Community forums had a combined attendance of 2,390, with an average per-event participation rate of 150, and also garnered considerable media coverage.
- The success of CSAT's media strategy is illustrated by the radio tour results. An impressive 620 network affiliates, 14 networks, and 32 stations aired interviews about Recovery Month for a total of 2,586,000 gross impressions and 177,400 listeners.
- CSAT's teleconference was viewed in 252 sites in 44 states, Canada, and Bermuda, with approximately 3,350 live viewers and an estimated 16,000 who had access via a video re-broadcast. Thirty-seven public access stations carried the downlink for an estimated audience of 1.8 million households. In addition, 345 secondary sites were identified to receive re-broadcast access in the future.
- Although there are always concurrent initiatives that also promote CSAT's toll-free number, the most prominent is the annual PSA effort launched during Recovery Month. The radio PSAs have resulted in an estimated time value of $1,044,543 in donated air time. Calls to CSAT's toll-free Helpline continue to increase with each passing year- the per-month average of 1,666 calls in 1998 grew to 3,707 in 1999 and stands at more than 6,500 for each of the first 10 months in 2000 for which data is available.
Every year, since its inception, Recovery Month national and local activities, the resulting media exposure, and the growing support from elected officials, policymakers, education leaders, judges, health providers, the faith community, and many other sectors, result in a public awareness effort of impressive magnitude. This national movement has started to take on a life of its own, as everyone who has a stake in fostering the survival and growth of quality treatment service works together to convey the message that substance abuse is a treatable disease and that recovery is possible.
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