Statewide and national recovery advocates gathered in Noblesville Friday to discuss best practices for influencing public policy.
The conversations took place at an inaugural summit presented by the Indiana Recovery Network. Brandon George, the vice president of Mental Health America of Indiana, helped organize the event.
He said the rapid expansion of the state’s recovery network in recent years required an opportunity for advocates to collaborate and share what’s worked.
“We’ve got some great programs in place, but we have to move as one. We have to mobilize,” George said.
The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated Hoosiers’ mental health issues, leading to two straight years of record overdose deaths. Speakers stressed the importance of expanding current programs to meet a growing crisis.
“We have to move beyond just telling stories of recovery and use that lived experience to influence policy and programming in our communities around the state,” George said.
Speakers discussed their journeys from substance use to recovery and the inner workings of Indiana’s recovery network.
Shelly Weizman, a Georgetown University law professor who specializes in addiction and public policy, led a session on the most effective ways for advocates to work with state and local officials on local-level recovery efforts.
“Commit yourselves to understanding how the money works,” she said. “Because if you understand how the money works, then you are in 10,000 times a better position to influence public policy.”
The event coincided with the announcement of a new project from Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration to measure available addiction treatment and recovery resources throughout the state.
Indiana Recovery Network hosts inaugural summit to discuss best practices
