The Milestone House invites you to attend our event titled: Empowering Change: How Can Evidence-Based Research Transform the Future of Recovery Residences?. This conference is designed to unite diverse stakeholders around the importance of evidence-based research in furthering the impact of the recovery residence community on September 11, 2024, in Rockaway, New Jersey.
This conference will facilitate a dialogue among national leadership from scientists, researchers, recovery residences, policy, treatment, and employment to identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities that will set a research agenda that can be tested with resident-centered outcomes and comparative efficacy designs.
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LEARN MORESpeaker from PCORI welcomes attendees, talks about PCORI & PCORI work in substance abuse field, educates on PCOR/CER and PCORI application expectations.
Dr. Godfrey Woelk
The goal of this panel is to broaden the reach of recovery housing into new industries by creating a coherent and credible base of evidence that is accessible and translated into practice. This will be accomplished by providing a stage for experts from various industries to speak about the status of their field in relation to recovery residences. From their unique stakeholder perspective, they will identify barriers to recovery housing and what evidence is needed to move forward. This may include but is not limited to: diversity, equity, and inclusion; barriers to care; location of recovery residences on the continua of care; current and changing attitudes or stigma towards recovery residences; Not in My Back Yard (NIMBY); harm reduction; recovery residence operator perspectives; employer perspectives, third-party payor perspectives and concerns; medications for opioid use disorder; role of the National Alliance of Recovery Residences (NARR) and its affiliates.
Anthony Grimes
Dr. Mohannad Kusti
Michael Santillo
Van Smith
Dr. Michael Ganon
Recovery Residence alumni and advocate(s) share their relevant experiences, particularly in relation to descriptions of the Recovery Residence field laid out by experts. This is meant to inform on and reflect the importance of resident-centered perspectives and attitudes in the Recovery Residence field and related research.
Dylan McKinney
Michael Cavallo
Carrie Bailey
Timothy Gulick
Christopher Di Iorio
The goal of these panels is to generate imaginative ways of co-designing and co-producing research that empowers both residents and operators and lays the groundwork for a roadmap to inform future funding priorities. Investigators will explain how comparative efficacy designs and resident centered outcomes can be used to broaden the reach of recovery housing and reach new populations. Panelists will also identify how questions raised on previous panel discussions can be informed by research and to inspire dialogue in the breakout sessions to follow.
Dr. Patrick Hibbard
Dr. Fiona Conway
Dr. Jennifer Miles
Dr. Amy Mericle
Dr. Leonard Jason
Dr. Kevin Wenzel
Dr. Corrie Vilsaint
Leaders in the recovery field offer insight into critical issues of today and how their work and the work of others plays into the future of recovery residences. This may include but is not limited to: legislation; legislative attitudes; insurance provider perspectives; regulatory agencies; recovery capital; direction of the National Alliance of Recovery Residences (NARR), national attitudes and movements surrounding recovery residences; role research and data can play in advancing the Recovery Residence field.
Dr. David Best
Dave Sheridan
Christopher Schroeder
With a focus on harm reduction practices and their potential for assisting recovery housing outcomes, this discussion will look at tools and use of medication monitoring within the recovery home, including medication monitoring with the use of MAT medication. We will discuss protocols for relapse within the home, and how to prioritize the individual vs. the community. Looking further, how might collaborations between Recovery Residences and outside medical providers impact resident outcomes.
This discussion will include a conversation surrounding stigma, effective campaigns, and public messaging. Addressing concerns around public safety such as: is recovery housing associated with more crime that will require more resources than other community resources such as treatment or convenience stores?
A conversation reviewing the types of organizations and/or data that payers might expect including National Association of Recovery Residences (NARR) levels of support (democratically run, monitored, supervised, clinical), as well as pathways to recovery: psychosocial treatment (e.g., inpatient) vs. pharmacological treatment (i.e., medication) vs. Recovery Support Service (e.g., recovery housing).
Diversity and access disparities in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment significantly impact the effectiveness of interventions and recovery outcomes, necessitating targeted strategies to ensure equitable care for all communities. The questions to be addressed in this session will examine facets of this problem, including but not limited to: What barriers to access exist? What role does culturally informed programming play? How can trauma-informed protocols and approaches be better utilized?
This breakout session will focus on questions that may arise for recovery housing residents and potential residents, such as: Since recovery residences can differ a great deal as to structure, service intensity, recovery pathways, community connections and other things, how do I determine the best one for my needs?; Is there evidence that a 'strict' residence (lots of rules, structure) will be better for someone like me?; Besides learning to live without alcohol/drugs, what else can I expect to get out of a recovery residence experience?; Given my primary substance (opioids, stimulants, alcohol) will recovery housing increase my chances of recovery? By how much compared to other pathways to recovery?; As a resident, how can I improve my chances of recovery (e.g., adding therapy or medicine?); Will recovery housing help save my life?; How long should I stay in recovery housing for it to help?; What are the risks of using recovery housing?
Because Employers are key in the potential recovery residence coverage, this session aims to examine what data would influence decision making about healthcare plans. We will look at issues including cost-to-benefit ratio of recovery housing coverage, what is the role of EAPs, how can education impact work-place culture and thinking surrounding substance use disorder, what do employers need from a reporting standpoint, and more.
Can housing first programs be the best starting place for certain people who may not otherwise be able to engage with recovery housing or other recovery programs? This discussion will include a conversation surrounding reducing barriers, respite housing, and the overall Recovery Residence community versus the individual. Further questions may include an examination of whether or not it is necessary to separate those who experience relapse from Recovery Residences, and how loss of housing can exacerbate substance use disorder and its symptoms.
What research infrastructure is needed to carry out research? By creating a sustainable model of engagement and research that can be replicated and scaled, thereby impacting the broader field of substance use recovery and partnering stakeholders, this discussion could lead to a critical step towards achieving a systemic change in how recovery research is conceptualized, executed, and implemented, ensuring that it is truly patient-centered and stakeholder-driven.
The Milestone House has been passionate about recovery since its inception in 2002. After 20 years of serving the community, we proudly transitioned into a non-profit agency with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. Our houses are accredited by the New Jersey Alliance of Recovery Residences. We currently have five facilities located in historic Dover, New Jersey. It is our mission to provide an environment where residents are afforded the opportunity to be law abiding, productive members of society, healthy in body, mind, and spirit, and of maximum helpfulness to others. In a significant step forward for recovery residence research and collaboration, The Milestone House has been selected for a funding award through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. This award is a testament to The Milestone House's unwavering commitment to enhancing the recovery residence field through innovative resident-centered approaches.