Session Overview
The addiction crisis is raging in North America. It is claiming lives, devastating families and wreaking havoc in our communities. Opioid-related overdose death rates alone often exceed all other accidental death causes combined. The negative impact of substance use disorders extends beyond the health of our communities. These conditions also cost our society tens of billions of dollars each year. Amid this staggering reality, the search for solutions can feel overwhelming. Worse, community stakeholders, policymakers and even providers, can begin to slowly resign themselves and accept our current state as the new normal.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
With the science and strategies we have today, we can save countless lives. In this high energy and inspiring presentation, Dr. Ijeoma Achara will share a framework that is rooted in recovery capital, which can help system administrators and providers tackle some of their most difficult challenges. Participants will learn how services in a reimagined, holistic, recovery-oriented system of care can improve health outcomes and quality of life for individuals along the entire continuum of health. Dr. Achara will explore with participants the specific implications of a reimagined behavioral health system for treatment providers, peer support staff, system administrators and community members.
This presentation will help to expand your vision about what is possible for your system in the provision of mental health and substance use services, and provide concrete guidance about how to move forward.
Learning Objectives
- Participants will have an increased understanding of a recovery-oriented system of care
- Participants will be able to articulate 3 implications of providing recovery-oriented services for treatment providers, peer staff, system administrators and community supports.
- Participants will be able to identify the greatest misconceptions about a recovery-oriented system of care.
- Participants will be able to articulate the role of recovery capital in promoting sustained wellness
BIO
Ijeoma Achara PsyD
The company’s founder, Dr. Ijeoma Achara, is a renowned national expert making behavioral health systems and services more equitable and effective for all. She brings more than two decades of hands-on experience equipping leaders with the knowledge, skills, and tools to initiate and manage change in the policies, practices, and the provision of clinical and nonclinical services. A central focus of her work is ensuring that the policy environment allows peer providers to deliver excellent services and integrate fully with other clinical and non-clinical staff.
Prior to establishing Achara Consulting, Dr. Achara was Director of Strategic Planning at the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, Dr. Achara led Philadelphia’s cutting-edge ROSC transformation effort, which included assessing organizational readiness, managing the change process, designing and implementing strategies to empower people in recovery to play integral roles in systems change and to expand and integrate peer services, and aligning policies and clinical practices with a recovery-orientation.
Before leading Philadelphia’s successful ROSC transformation, Dr. Achara was a faculty member in the Yale School of Medicine Program on Recovery and Community Health, where she supported Connecticut’s recovery transformation efforts.
Dr. Achara was a key creator of Philadelphia’s Practice Guidelines for Resilience- and Recovery-Oriented Treatment, which was developed with participation from system stakeholders and remains relevant today. More recently, Achara Consulting created and produced the Peer Support Toolkit, an interactive PDF that documents the practices and experiences of Philadelphia’s providers and peers as they undertook the work of integrating peer services into behavioral health settings. The Toolkit has received praise from users across the country for its practicality and scope.
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