Speaker: Gord Garner September 13th 10:50am Round Room
Abstract:
“How do you make the recovery community part of the broader community?
Currently, the barriers for building a recovery capital producing platform are stigma, and the silos between researchers, academics policy advisors and those with lived and living experience, as well as the lack of resources for recovery communities. As advocates, we seek to create a closed cycle of ongoing recovery capital by mining, defining and then utilizing what we know to better support recovery communities.
It is time to shift the conversation from those in recovery to the broader community. This presentation will outline the need for the recovery community to build a strong public presence and the need for national, provincial and regional partners to engage and support recovery communities, and their efforts to improve collaboration.
Building public recovery communities enables the substance use disorder community to work in partnership with researchers, academics, policy advisors and the broader public community. By creating a closed cycle communications platform, we can transform experience into knowledge and knowledge into actionable recovery capital.
Furthermore, addressing and eliminating stigma through public discussions about recovery will lead to the creation of public recovery communities. To aid this process, we are creating, for the first time, opportunities for direct engagement with academics, researchers, and policy advisors.
Garnering wide public support for the initiatives and actions that are developed as part of this cooperative work is key. Recovery involves everyone and families, employers, service clubs, faith based organization and civil servants – including politicians – need to be engaged in a dialogue. The general public plays a critical role in influencing the level of social change, and corresponding funding, they demand and to gain their support we must show the value of meaningful cross-engagement and collaboration.
This presentation will also include overviews of CCSA-published resources that aid the recovery community including the Finding Quality Addiction Care in Canada Guide, the Life in Recovery from Addiction in Canada Report, the Life in Recovery from Addiction in Canada Communications Toolkit, and the Moving Towards a Recovery-Oriented System of Care Resource.”
Objectives:
“We believe collaboration turns knowledge into actionable initiatives, research, and policy initiatives. As joint presenters, we intend to show how removing barriers between academic, research, policy work and lived experience with substance use disorder can enrich the conversation and lead to meaningful change.
Our three learning objectives are as follows:
1. Show the importance of publicly available peer services and recovery communities in building sustainable recovery models.
2. Demonstrate how stigma can prevent those with a substance use disorder from accessing recovery community organizations and highlight the importance of recovery allies in breaking down stigma, and providing new sources of recovery capital.
3. Drive engagement between the recovery community and the broader community, and normalize dialogue around recovery and substance use disorders.”
References:
“As well as CCSA research we used these resources
The Community as the Patient: How to Promote Community Recovery
http://www.williamwhitepapers.com/pr/CSAT%20Perspectices%20on%20Peer%20Recovery%20Support%20Services%202013.pdf
In addition as noted above we have used recent CCSA surveys and research articles
http://www.williamwhitepapers.com/pr/CSAT%20Peer%20Recovery%20Support%202005.pdf
https://www.recoveryanswers.org/research-post/how-effective-are-recovery-support-services-provided-by-other-people-in-recovery/”
Bio:
Gord Garner Recovery Capital Work
Volunteer Community Addictions Support Association 2014
Board member Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA) 2014-on going
Nominated and elected Chair Recovery Day Ottawa 2015-16-17 and new two year term 2018/19
Appointed Executive Director of CAPSA by the board 2017
Facilitator at CAPSA’s All People All Pathways peer support meetings
Canadian Certified Addiction Counselor
Public Speaker
Issues of Substance Conference 2017
Biennial Conference on Violence and Aggression 2018
Various speaking roles at “Conversations at The Royal “Ottawa Mental Health Centre”
Algonquin College Umbrella Project Guest Speaker
Carleton University guest lectures
Algonquin College guest lectures
Media appearances
CTV News
CBC Radio
Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Sun
Ottawa Life Magazine
CKCU FM
Various videos on social media
Recognitions
Named one of Ottawa’s #150 Great People
http://blog.catherineclark.ca/tag/gord-garner/
Recognized as one of #150 Ottawa Centre People Making a Difference
MPP Yasir Naqvi
Rita Notarandrea, M.H.Sc., C.H.E.
Rita Notarandrea
Rita Notarandrea was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) through a Governor-in-Council appointment on July 28, 2015. Ms. Notarandrea works with all levels of government as well as the not-for-profit and private sectors to ensure that addiction is recognized as a health issue, that it remains on the national agenda for action and that collective efforts are galvanized to reduce alcohol- and drug-related harms on the health of Canadians.
Before being appointed CEO, Ms. Notarandrea held the position of interim CEO for a 10-month period, and that of Deputy CEO for eight years. As the Deputy CEO, Ms. Notarandrea was accountable for the overall operations of CCSA. This position entailed establishing strategic and operational goals and ensuring that CCSA remained responsive to environmental trends and had the strategies and processes in place to deliver on the mission and vision of the organization and to assess performance and achievements.
Under Ms. Notarandrea’s leadership, CCSA has led many first-ever national initiatives, including an overarching action plan on problematic substance use. During her tenure, CCSA has developed national strategies for mitigating the harms of alcohol, for professionals working in the field and for youth drug use prevention. These strategies represent new ways of thinking and working together to deliver practical and tangible results for Canadians, harnessing collective action for collective impact