January 10th, 2001

 

 MOAR News at a Glance

iNEAAR Public Policy Conference: January 20th  ~ Excellent!

hGlenna Sheehan House “Putting a Face on Recovery” ~ January 5th ~  Wonderful!

hCORI  Hearing Mantra ~ “Let The Employer Make The Decision”

hWomen and Recovery Awareness Week – March 4th-11th

hAnnual Women and Addiction Recovery Conference- March 5th-Sponsored by    

    Institute for Health and Recovery, Bureau of Substance Abuse Services,

    Interested: Call AdCare Educational Institute, 508-752-7313

 

MOAR Meetings at a Glance

iSpringfield ~ Plans an Addiction Recovery Seminar for The Medical Community,

    Ideas wanted!  January 25, 5:30, Phoenix Academy, 5 Madison Ave.

iLowell ~ Housing Issues, and Addiction Recovery ~  Guest Speaker: Nancy Tierney,

    Institute for Health and Recovery,  February 2, 10:30, Mercier Center, Merrimack St.

iBoston ~ Plans National Screening Day  ~ Guest Speaker: Jennifer Tripp, MBHP,

    February 14, 3:30,  Atrium II, Faulkner Hospital

iNew Bedford ~ NEW  ~ Introductory Meeting

                    Wednesday, January 24, 3:15,  Prevention Partners, 360 Coggeshall  St

 

FYI:  Join Together Calls for a National Account of Treatment Discrimination.

Join Together wants to hear the stories of individuals who have experienced discrimination, delays, financial obstacles or other barriers to seeking treatment for themselves or someone close to them. Personal accounts will be published anonymously on The Join Together Website.  The purpose is to remove the “aloneness” of discrimination, and replace it with  “united”  attention to discrimination.  Send one page  personal descriptions to: FYI Join Together, 441 Stuart St  ~ 7th floor, Boston, MA 02116, or fax: (617) 437-9394, or speakout@jointogether.org.

hCORI Implementation ~ Public Mantra~ Let The Employer Decide Whom to Hire!   On January 19th, over 250 persons, attended The DPH CORI  (Criminal Offender Report Information) Implementation Hearing. The Department of Public Health, as all  Executive Office and Health Human Service agencies, must implement regulations with a   review of criminal records of prospective employees, volunteers, or trainees having the possibility of unsupervised client contact. The checking process is a public protection measure. The public testimony questioned lifetime bars from alcohol and drug counselor positions for persons now living in addiction recovery, and have made restitution for drug related crime. So the public said: “Let the employer make the hiring decision!”

 

NEAAR Public Policy Conference:“Solving Social Problems: 

The Role of Recovery from Alcohol and Other Drug Addictions”— January 20th

Massachusetts Regional Director Bill Andrews and  panelists – Laurie Markoff , Institute for Health and Recovery, ~ Karen Wakefield, STEP Inc, ~Amos Marshall, New England Veterans Shelter, ~Michael Ortiz, Assistant District Attorney helped to facilitate lively discussion about the problems of  crime, homelessness, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence and addiction. The dialogue stimulated a learning of what the six New England states are doing to address the problems. “The Solution” involves the recovery process, and that involves the recovery community. Thus, participate in NEAAR action plans.

 

MOAR  Members Develop Recovery Community Action Plans ~ You are invited

               December 28th  Springfield  MOAR meeting attendeesMOAR Springfield Meeting –Attendees Bill Sciturro, Pete Crumb, Diane Teta, Karen Sullivan, Diane Gahres, Bob Pisani, Tanyss Martula , Diane Kurtz reviewed membership recruitment and awareness activities such as the NEAAR Public Policy Conference, NEAAR Families in Recovery Celebration, and brochure development .  Members agreed  that it would be   great  to do a fundraising and membership activity.  We reviewed inviting the medical community  with  a focus on screenings,  follow up care, and recovery community involvement. Members were, also,  invited to a DPH interagency working group collaboration on youth and recovery per Regional  Director Ruth Jacobsen Hardy.  

January 5th Lowell attendees during Glenna Sheehan’s “Putting a Face on Recovery” Event- with Representative Colleen Garry per Janice Archer’s invitation!

So Pierre Descoteaux, Janice Archer, Tricia Wood,Daniel Ronan, Lona Demers, Ivelisse Alvarado, Victoria Buckley, Jerry Cormier, Gary Lever, Jim Cremer, William Andrews, Denise Devlin, Ralph Stopello,Kathryn C,Sarah M, Karen W, Risa L, Angelique K, Ellen P, and Robin P gave a  Big Thank you to Representative Garry, who really listened to  the faces of recovery.  A big focus: housing issues after graduation. So- next meeting will feature Institute for Health and Recovery’s housing specialist, Nancy Tierney. 

            January 10th Boston attendees reviewed ways to communicate MOAR  !

Thus, Louise Sutherland, Lynn Porges, Susan Descolaines, Ray Hoitt, Greg Arsenault,

Joe Kelleher,  John Frazier, Tom Delaney, Jim Carroll, Amos Marshall, John MacIsaac, and Lisa Clark focused on MOAR and membership outreach, sustainability, interagency communication, and linkage with other groups. Ray reported over 100 responses to our membership drive. Thank you! Greg Arsenault agreed to facilitate our committee work to make our mission and vision statement –“eye catchers”—and work with W MOAR to redesign the membership brochure. Everyone agreed to working with MAADAC  on a combined effort for  a speaker this March to participate in Women and  Recovery  Awareness Week. Our Valentine Day Guests will be MBHP’s Jennifer Tripp and Kim Holtz –with a focus: National Alcohol Screening Day – April 5th.  Please come!

                        

       MOAR Sincerely, Maryanne Frangules, MOAR Project Coordinator, 617-423-6627

 

Funding The MOAR News mailing, 01/01 edition, is from  MOAR fundraising activities  MOAR , is a NEAAR affliliate, grantee # 1KD1TI11642 through the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, SAMHSA, USDHHS.  The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the agency. CSAT/Center for Substance Abuse Treatment/SAMHSA