2005 Outcomes for the 16th Annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
Join the Voices for Recovery. Healing Lives, Families & Communities!
Recovery Month Toolkit
Building upon the success of the previous Recovery Month campaigns, SAMHSA and its Planning Partners worked together to develop a toolkit for local community based organizations to use as a resource for developing and planning Recovery Month events in 2005. To meet the high demand for Recovery Month materials, SAMHSA printed 75,000 toolkits for distribution to various public and private organizations, coalitions, and agencies from a variety of disciplines, including the health care, education, business, criminal justice, and government sectors, among others.
The 2005 Recovery Month planning toolkit was a valuable resource to help organizations and government entities plan events that educate the public on substance use disorders and addiction-related issues. It contained a variety of materials that organizations could duplicate directly or tailor to create customized materials and programs for their communities. As in previous years, the toolkit was divided into three sections:
- Media Outreach
- Targeted Outreach
- Resources
Following is a more detailed description of each of these sections of the 2005 planning toolkit.
Media Outreach
The Media Outreach section offered suggestions on the types of events that community-based organizations could hold to celebrate Recovery Month, and was specifically designed to help organizations with little media relations experience. This section was packed with tips on how to plan and execute successful events that have a strong impact on the community and attract local media attention. This section of the toolkit included sample media materials such as a sample press release, media advisory, and op-ed, and instructions on how organizations could tailor the sample materials or write their own for distribution to media outlets. Many of the provided materials can be used by organizations long after Recovery Month to continue successful community and media relations efforts.
Of particular use to event organizers was a tip sheet titled "Speaking Effectively with the Media About Recovery Month," which provided handy tips about how to get messages across in a media interview. It also included suggestions on key points to convey to media during Recovery Month, so that event organizers in communities across the country presented a uniform message about the national Recovery Month initiative.
Also included in the Media Outreach section of the toolkit were two sample proclamations for national, state, and local officials to use in declaring September as Recovery Month in their jurisdictions. The proclamations were accompanied by instructions on how to secure an official's interest in issuing a Recovery Month proclamation and ways to publicize a proclamation to maximize its effectiveness.
Live-read radio public service announcements also were included, and organizations were encouraged to distribute them to local radio stations to give listeners basic information about Recovery Month along with a national toll-free or local number to learn more about treatment services. The Media Outreach section also included instructions on how to develop a media list to most effectively target local media with Recovery Month messages.
To aid event organizers in distributing their outreach materials, the toolkit contained Recovery Month logos and a letterhead template. These items allowed event organizers across the country to further brand their materials as part of the national initiative.
Targeted Outreach
The most in-depth portion of the planning toolkit was the Targeted Outreach section, which contained a wealth of up-to-date and useful information used to educate the event organizers and also the attendees of events about the nature of substance use disorders and the effectiveness of treatment. This section of the toolkit contained seven fact sheets that communicated the key themes of the entire Recovery Month initiative, such as the effectiveness of treatment, the importance of community involvement to help people in recovery, and the value of recovery. Many of the targeted outreach fact sheets can be used by organizations and community leaders year-round for educational outreach long after Recovery Month has ended. These handouts can help organizations continue successful community and media relations efforts as well as secure support for community treatment options.
Some of the fact sheets featured general background information, such as a list of the most commonly misused substances, accompanied by up-to-date statistics indicating the number of Americans who misuse them. The toolkit also contained audience-specific fact sheets with information relevant to key audiences. Event organizers could use these fact sheets to target specific audiences through their events and activities. The audience-specific fact sheets featured a list of steps each audience could take to make a difference in the lives of people suffering from substance use disorders.
The 2005 toolkit also featured vignettes-personal stories of recovery told by the people who live it every day and the people who support them. Their unique stories were meant to be shared with others in need of treatment or others who are on their way to recovery as an inspiration and to relay the positive way recovery allows people to reclaim their lives.
Resources
The Resources section of the 2005 planning toolkit provided a comprehensive set of resources to help event organizers plan and execute Recovery Month activities. It also provided added value by listing treatment organizations and other resources for the general public to contact to learn more about substance use disorders and how to get help. This section is particularly useful long after Recovery Month by providing materials for organizations and individuals to continue successful community and media relations efforts and to seek treatment.
A list of Planning Partners participating in the Recovery Month celebration was included to provide event organizers with the opportunity to contact other organizations to coordinate efforts.
To provide resources for individuals seeking addiction treatment and other information about substance use disorders, the 2005 toolkit included a Single-State Agency list for local support, with contact information, as well as a comprehensive resource brochure complete with descriptions of hundreds of organizations. Listings of additional resources in the brochure were organized by category to facilitate finding a particular organization, and listings were cross-referenced under multiple categories.
Also included was a Customer Satisfaction Form for event organizers to evaluate the success of their Recovery Month events and the usefulness of the provided materials. This was an excellent way to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the planning toolkit and to make adjustments accordingly.
The following materials were included in the 2005 toolkit:
Section/Topic
Signed Support Letters
HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt
ONDCP Director John Walters
SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie
and CSAT Director Dr. H. Westley Clark
Web Promotional Flyer
Media Outreach Materials
Media Tips: Speaking Effectively with the Media About Recovery Month
Promotional Event Ideas
Sample Press Release
Sample Media Advisory
Sample Op-Ed
Radio Public Service Announcements (live-read announcer scripts)
Sample Proclamations
Logo Sheet
Letterhead
Targeted Outreach
Overview: Healing Lives, Families, and Communities
Employers: Helping Workers with Substance Use Disorders Start a Path To Recovery: A Guide for
Employers
Insurers: Ensuring Access to Treatment: A Guide for Private Insurers
Commonly Misused Substances
Community: The Role of the Community: Families, Clergy, Recovery Communities, and People in
the Social Services, Child Welfare, and Justice Systems
Health Care Providers: Screenings, Referrals, and Affordable Addiction Treatment Options:
A Guide for Health Care Providers
Resources
Planning Partners List
Customer Satisfaction Form
Single-State Agency Directory
Additional Resources Brochure
Supplemental Printed Materials
SAMHSA also designed and produced 10,000 color 35" x 50" commemorative Recovery Month posters, 20,000 giveaways (bracelets), 10,000 Recovery Month bookmarks, 10,000 color 8.5" x 11" announcement flyers, and 10,000 3 ¾" x 9" teaser brochures used in mailings and conference exhibits prior to release of the printed kits. Seventy-five thousand Web flyers were also produced and distributed with the toolkits to increase awareness of Recovery Month activities and the availability of materials.
Below is a partial distribution list for the Recovery Month 2005 toolkits and supplemental materials:
9th Circuit Court Kalamazoo
Addiction Technology Transfer Centers
Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts
Administrative Office of the Courts, Family Division, New Jersey
Administrative Office of the Courts, Georgia
Administrative Office of the Courts, Illinois
Administrative Office of the Courts, Kentucky
Administrative Office of the Courts, Maine
Administrative Office of the Courts, Maryland
Administrative Office of the Courts, Nebraska
Administrative Office of the Courts, New Mexico
Administrative Office of the Courts, North Carolina
Administrative Office of the Courts, Supreme Court of Arkansas
Administrative Office of the Courts, Utah
Administrative Office of the Courts, Vermont
Advocates for Recovery Through Medicine (ARM) - DC
Alabama Administrative Office of Courts
Al-Anon/Alateen World Service Organization
Alaska Court System
Alaska Judicial Council
Alcoholics Anonymous World Service Organization
Alexandria Community Services Board
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
American Association of Pastoral Counselors
American Bar Association
American Psychological Association
American Society of Addiction Medicine
AOC, Criminal Practice Division, New Jersey
Arizona Supreme Court, Admin Office of the Courts
Asian American Drug Abuse Program
Association for Persons Affected by Addiction
Behavioral Health Services
Riedel Communications
California Association of Addiction Recovery Resources
Child Welfare League of America
Circuit Court of Hawaii
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
Community Justice Assistance Division, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery
Court Services Division State Court Admin. Office, Minnesota Supreme Court
Criminal Court of the City of New York
Criminal Justice Division, Office of the Governor, Texas
Dept of Health Substance Abuse Division, Wyoming
Department of Human Services, Minnesota
District Court of Maryland
District of Columbia Pretrial Services Agency
Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Washington
Faces and Voices of Recovery
Four Corners Community Behavioral Health
Friends of Recovery
Hamilton House; Asian American Recovery Services
Hawaii Judiciary
Idaho Supreme Court
Illinois Department of Human Services
Indiana Judicial Center
Join Together
Judicial Council/ AOC, California
Judiciary of Guam, Probation Services Division
Maine Alliance for Addiction Recovery
Mary Francis Center
Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery
Michigan Hall of Justice
Minnesota Drug Courts
Minnesota Office of Justice Programs
Minnesota Supreme Court
Narconon
Narcotics Anonymous
Nashua District Court
Nashville Area Recovery Alliance
National Association for Children of Alcoholics
National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers
National Association of Drug Court Professionals
National Association of Governors
National Association of Methadone Advocates
National Association of Social Workers
National Council of State Legislatures
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
National Inhalant Prevention Coalition
National League of Cities
National Mental Health Association
Nebraska Supreme Court
Nevada Supreme Court AOC
New Hampshire - Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
New York State-Unified Court System
North Dakota Dept. of Corrections
North Dakota Supreme Court
Northeast Iowa Mental Health Center
NYS Drug Treatment Courts
ODMHSAS
Office of Courts Administration Directorate of Judicial Programs, Puerto Rico
Office of Criminal Collaboration, Dept. of Alcohol and Drug Programs, California
Office of Criminal Justice Programs
Office of Public Defender
Office of the Administrative Judge of the District Courts, New Hampshire
Office of the Executive Secretary, Judicial Planning Department, Supreme Court of Virginia
Office of the Judicial Administrator, Louisiana
Office of the State Courts Administrator, Florida
Office of the State Courts Administrator, Missouri
Office of the State Court Administrator, Oregon
Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services
Oxford Houses
Partnership for a Drug-Free America
Recovery Schools
Rhode Island Family Court
Rhode Island Supreme Court
SAMHSA Grantees/Contractors
Single-State Agencies
South Carolina Judicial Department
State Association of Addiction Services
State Court Administrative Office, Michigan
Superior Court Alaska Court System
Superior Court, Connecticut
Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court
Superior Court of the District of Columbia Social Services Division
Superior Court, Prothonotary Office
Supreme Court of Mississippi
Supreme Court of Ohio
Supreme Court of Virginia
Toronto Drug Treatment Court
Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities
Upper Valley Substance Foundation
U.S. Conference of Mayors
U.S. Congress
U.S. Department of Labor, Small Business Administration
VA Medical Centers, Puerto Rico
Vermont Dept. of Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs
Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services
Volunteers of America
White Bison, Inc.
