Outreach Materials and Initiatives
Recovery Month Toolkit
The Recovery Month toolkit, developed by SAMHSA and its Planning Partners, is designed for local community based organizations to use as a resource for developing and planning Recovery Month events in 2006. To meet the high demand for Recovery Month materials, SAMHSA printed 75,000 toolkits for distribution to various public and private organizations, coalitions, and agencies from a variety of disciplines, including the health care, education, business, criminal justice, and government sectors, among others.
The 2006 Recovery Month planning toolkit was a valuable resource to help organizations and government entities plan events that educate the public on substance use disorders and addiction-related issues. It contained a variety of materials that organizations could duplicate directly or tailor to create customized materials and programs for their communities. As in previous years, the toolkit was divided into three sections:
- Media Outreach
- Targeted Outreach
- Resources
Following is a more detailed description of each of these sections of the 2006 planning toolkit.
Media Outreach
The Media Outreach section offered suggestions on the types of events that community-based organizations could hold to celebrate Recovery Month, and was specifically designed to help organizations with little media relations experience. This section was packed with tips on how to plan and execute successful events that have a strong impact on the community and attract local media attention. This section of the toolkit included sample media materials such as a sample press release, media advisory, and op-ed, and instructions on how organizations could tailor the sample materials or write their own for distribution to media outlets. Many of the provided materials can be used by organizations long after Recovery Month to continue successful community and media relations efforts.
Also included in the Media Outreach section of the toolkit were two sample proclamations for national, state, and local officials to use in declaring September as Recovery Month in their jurisdictions. Instructions on how to secure an official's interest in Recovery Month and in issuing a Recovery Month proclamation were also included. Publicizing the proclamation is also of essence, and instructions for ways to publicize a proclamation to maximize its effectiveness are part of this section.
Live-read radio public service announcements were also included in the kit, and organizations were encouraged to distribute them to local radio stations to give listeners basic information about Recovery Month along with a national toll-free or local number to learn more about treatment services. The Media Outreach section also provided instructions on how to develop a media list to most effectively target local media with Recovery Month messages.
Logos and letterhead templates were part of the Recovery Month kit materials to help event organizers in distributing their outreach materials. These items allowed event organizers across the country to brand their materials as part of the national Recovery Month initiative.
Targeted Outreach
The Targeted Outreach section is the most in-depth portion of the planning toolkit and it contains a wide variety of information used to educate the event organizers and attendees of the events about Recovery Month, its purpose, the nature of substance use disorders and the effectiveness of treatment. This section of the toolkit contained seven fact sheets that communicated the key themes of the entire Recovery Month initiative, such as the effectiveness of treatment, the importance of community involvement to help people in recovery, and the value of recovery, as well as useful information for specific audiences, such as adolescents, college students, affected families, labor organizations, military and veterans, and clergy and faith-based groups. Many of the targeted outreach fact sheets can be used by organizations and community leaders year-round for educational outreach long after Recovery Month has ended. These handouts can help organizations continue successful community and media relations efforts as well as secure support for community treatment options.
The fact sheets also featured general background information, such as a list of the most commonly misused substances, accompanied by updated statistics indicating the number of Americans who misuse them. The toolkit also contained audience-specific fact sheets with information relevant to key audiences that can be used by event organizers to target these specific audiences through their events and activities. The audience-specific fact sheets featured a list of steps each audience could take to make a difference in the lives of people suffering from substance use disorders.
The 2006 toolkit also featured vignettes as part of the Targeted Outreach pieces. These are personal stories of recovery told by the people who have experienced it and live it every day, along with the people who support them. Their unique stories were meant to be shared with others in need of treatment or others who are on their way to recovery as an inspiration and to relay the positive way recovery allows people to reclaim their lives.
Resources
The Resources section of the 2006 planning toolkit provided a comprehensive set of resources to help event organizers plan and execute Recovery Month activities. It also provided added value by listing treatment organizations and other resources for the general public to contact to learn more about substance use disorders and how to get help. This section is particularly useful long after Recovery Month by providing materials for organizations and individuals to continue successful community and media relations efforts and to seek treatment.
A new addition to this section of the kit was an informational piece on building a coalition or a community team for Recovery Month. This piece offered information on increasing the visibility and credibility of the Recovery Month efforts and building relationships with organizations and individuals within the community in order to create alliances that would address issues such as substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery support. A list of organizations to consider was included, as well as examples from previous years.
A list of Planning Partners participating in the Recovery Month celebration was included to provide event organizers with the opportunity to contact other organizations to coordinate efforts.
To provide resources for individuals seeking addiction treatment and other information about substance use disorders, the 2006 toolkit included a Single-State Agency list for local support, with contact information, as well as a comprehensive resource brochure complete with descriptions of hundreds of organizations. Listings of additional resources in the brochure were organized by category to facilitate finding a particular organization, and listings were cross-referenced under multiple categories.
Also included was a Customer Satisfaction Form for event organizers to evaluate the success of their Recovery Month events and the usefulness of the provided materials. This was an excellent way to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the planning toolkit and to make adjustments accordingly.
The following materials were included in the 2006 toolkit:
Section/Topic
Signed Support Letters
HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt
SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie and CSAT Director Dr. H. Westley Clark
Web Promotional Flyer
Media Outreach Materials
Media Tips:
Promotional Event Ideas
Speaking Effectively with the Media About Recovery Month
Writing and Distributing a Media Advisory - and Sample
Writing and Distributing a Press Release - and Sample
Sample Op-Ed
Sample Proclamations
Radio Public Service Announcements (live-read announcer scripts)
Letterhead
Logo Sheet
Targeted Outreach
Overview: Building a Stronger, Healthier Community
Commonly Misused Substances
Join the Voices for Recovery
Adolescents and College Students: Helping Students, Educators, and Administrators Understand
Substance Use Disorders and Overcome Stigma and Discrimination
Affected Families: Helping Families and Children Cope With the Substance Use Disorder of Someone Close
Labor Organizations: A Guide for Unions to Help Deal With Substance Use Disorders
Military and Veterans: Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders Among Military and Veterans
Clergy and Faith-Based Groups: A Guide for Religious and Spiritual Leaders to Help People With
Substance Use Disorders
Resources
Building Your Recovery Month Coalition or Community Team
Planning Partners List
Customer Satisfaction Form
Single-State Agency Directory
Additional Resources Brochure
Supplemental Printed Materials
SAMHSA also designed and produced color 35" x 50" commemorative Recovery Month posters, Recovery Month bookmarks, 8.5" x 11" announcement flyers, and 3 ¾" x 9" teaser brochures used in mailings and conference exhibits prior to release of the printed kits. SAMHSA also distributed 30,000 giveaways (bracelets). Seventy-five thousand Web flyers were also produced and distributed with the toolkits to increase awareness of Recovery Month activities and the availability of materials.
Partial distribution list for the Recovery Month 2006 toolkits and supplemental materials:
Adult Children of Alcoholics
Alabama Council on Substance Abuse - NCADD
Alaska Division of Behavioral Health
Alexandria CSB
American Bar Association
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
American Society of Addiction Medicine
Asian American Family Service Houston
Association of Persons Affected by Addiction
Behavioral Health Services/United for Recovery
Californians for a Drug-Free Youth
California Association for Addiction Recovery Services
Catholic Charities
Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies
Chicanos Por La Causa Community Contracts
Coalition of Drug Free Hawaii, Honolulu
Colorado Latino Behavioral Health Network
Community Anti-drug Coalitions of America
Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery
Congressional Offices
CRC Health Group
CSAT Advisory Council
CSAT Reserve
Delaware Department of Health and Human Services
DM ARM
Elks Drug Prevention Program
Faces and Voice of Recovery
Hamilton-Madison House
Idaho Bureau of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Idaho Supportive Housing and Innovative Partnerships
Illinois Department of Health, Division of Alcoholism and Mental Health
Indiana, Drug-Free Marion County
Iowa Department of Public Health
IQ Solutions, SAMHSA Helpline Calls
Join Together
Kentucky Division of Mental Health
Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery
Mexico International Meeting
Minnesota Center for Hmong Studies, Concordia University
Minnesota Drug Courts and State Contacts
Missouri Office of State Courts Administrator, Division of Juvenile and Adult Court Programs
National Asian Pacific Families Against Substance Abuse
National Association of Governors
National Association for Children of Alcoholics
National Association on Alcohol Drugs and Disability
National Association of Methadone Advocates
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Detroit
National Council of State Legislatures
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
National League of Cities
NCADD pf the Central Mississippi Area
New Jersey, Mercer County Hispanic
New York Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers
Northern Ohio Recovery Association
Pennsylvania, Bucks County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
Pennsylvania Department of Health
RecoveryRides
SAMHAS Advisory Council
SAMHSA Grantees
Single State Agency
South Carolina, Heart Spring
State Associations of Addiction Services
Synergy Enterprises Community Contacts
Synergies, National Inhalant Prevention Coalition
Teen Challenge, Arizona
Teen Challenge International, California
Tennessee, Buffalo Valley Incorporated
The Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC)
Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities
U.S Conference of Mayors
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
Utah Alcoholism Foundation
Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services
Virginia Office of Substance Abuse Services
Waianae Women in Recovery, Honolulu
Wesley Center, North Dakota
West Virginia Substance Abuse Coalition/HMS Technologies
White Bison
