While there is much we do not know about addiction and recovery, there are things we know well but do not apply to our care system design. I am going to attempt to cover three of those in this blog posts because they interrelate. The first is that we have long term drug use patterns … Continue reading Moving Beyond Narrow, Whack-A Mole Care System Design
Author: billstaufferpa
William Stauffer has been the Executive Director of Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliance (PRO-A), the statewide recovery organization of Pennsylvania. He is in long-term recovery since age 21 and has been actively engaged in public policy in the recovery arena for most of those years. He is also an adjunct professor of Social Work at Misericordia University in Dallas Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelors in Social work degree from Cedar Crest College and a Masters Degree from Kutztown University.
William Stauffer has initiated numerous workforce expansion initiatives for persons in recovery. A major focus of his work has been aimed at moving our entire SUD care system towards a five-year care paradigm to dramatically expand the numbers of Americans in Recovery while saving lives, resources, and communities. Mr. Stauffer has been a staunch advocate for strong SUD Patient Privacy Protections at both the state and federal levels for many years. He ran a recovery house taskforce for the Pennsylvania that helped inform PA Act 59 of 2017. In 2018, he testified in front of the US Senate Special Committee on Aging on the opioid epidemic and older adults, and in 2019, he conducted a hearing with the PA House Human Services Committee to expand recovery opportunities for young people.
He is co-chair of the public policy committee for Faces & Voices of Recovery and the 2019 recipient of the Vernon Johnson Award Individual Recovery Advocate of the year. Mr. Stauffer was also the 2002 Recipient of the Lecie G. Machell prize in Social Work and, prior to taking the position of executive director of PRO-A , received Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliances award of the Recovery Advocate of the year, in 2008.
Alcohol Use Disorders– the Silent and Common Killer Amongst Us
Thinking a lot these days about alcohol, like all drugs it is neither good nor bad, but even among those who can moderate, there are always a cost. As behavioral neuroscientist Dr Judith Grisel notes, every time you use a drug there is a good feeling, but there is always a “payback” as the brain … Continue reading Alcohol Use Disorders– the Silent and Common Killer Amongst Us
An Epidemic Within a Pandemic – More Questions Than Answers
Our substance use care infrastructure and workforce has never been in particularly good shape. It is largely held together by passionate people who care about the work and who serve in the face of a myriad of barriers and challenges. It is a constant upstream swim even in the best of times. This is a … Continue reading An Epidemic Within a Pandemic – More Questions Than Answers
“We Can’t Help Everyone” – the Mentality of Structural Bias
I am a huge advocate for the five-year care paradigm. I have written about it extensively, including a STAT news article early this year and a piece with Dr Robert Dupont among others. Put simply, the five-year recovery paradigm is a call to reorganize our care system around the fact that people who reach five … Continue reading “We Can’t Help Everyone” – the Mentality of Structural Bias
2020’s Top Ten Posts #2 – PEOPLE IN the recovery community ARE THE EXPERTS on recovery community
"Strengthening recovery community is a critical element in the revival of American community. Recovering people become engaged citizens which benefits all society. As Bill White, Pat Taylor and Carol McDaid note in there 2010 paper Recovery and Citizenship, we become involved in volunteerism, with our own families and reconnect with meaningful activities as citizens. Citizenship is central to the recovery identity."
2020’s Top Ten Posts #3 – Recovery Community: This can be our finest hour – let’s show the world what the recovery community is all about!
[first posted March 18, 2020] And just like that, overnight all of our worlds have changed. I already miss things that I did without a second thought less than two weeks ago before COVID-19 took hold. I am sure I am not alone in that. All of us are reeling from unprecedented change and disorienting … Continue reading 2020’s Top Ten Posts #3 – Recovery Community: This can be our finest hour – let’s show the world what the recovery community is all about!
2020’s Top Ten Posts #4 – Can We Please Stop Saying Recovery is Possible?
Imagine this scenario. You get the terrible diagnoses of cancer, like addiction, it is terminal if left on its dreadful course unimpeded. You are in the depths of despair, facing everything this terrible diagnosis means for your life. The treating professional turns to you and says “recovery is possible. It is POSSIBLE you might survive … Continue reading 2020’s Top Ten Posts #4 – Can We Please Stop Saying Recovery is Possible?
2020’s Top Ten Posts #6 – Walking the talk of recovery advocacy
Thinking about what it means to advocate publicly for recovery. To me, this means showing that recovery is not only possible for persons with substance use conditions, but that given the proper care and support, recovery is the probable outcome for persons with a substance use disorder. As a person in long term recovery, I … Continue reading 2020’s Top Ten Posts #6 – Walking the talk of recovery advocacy
2020’s Top Ten Posts #7: Investing in Community Recovery Capital – it is beyond time to do the right thing
There is a famous quote - “Americans Will Always Do the Right Thing — After Exhausting All the Alternatives” often credited to Winston Churchill. I have been thinking about the quote as it relates to the narrative around deaths of despair and the erosion of social connections, hope and purpose. These deaths are often … Continue reading 2020’s Top Ten Posts #7: Investing in Community Recovery Capital – it is beyond time to do the right thing
Steal This Blog Post – Policy Considerations to Improve Our Substance Use Care System
“The only way to support a revolution is to make your own” - Abbie Hoffman The title of the post is a thinly veiled reference to the late social activist Abbie Hoffman. It has been said that the best way to get stuff done is to not have to take credit for it. The intent … Continue reading Steal This Blog Post – Policy Considerations to Improve Our Substance Use Care System
