NJAMHAA News Winter 2023

10 Winter 2023 Kristin Lundgren, MEd, Co-dir ector of Community and State Programs, shared the promising effectiveness of Recovery Pathways after the first year of implementation. Comparing a 2020 cohort that did not have this program to the first Recovery Pathways cohort in 2021, there was a six-fold improvement in the safety of individuals’ living environments; 12% improvement in self-esteem; and 74.3% of the 2021 cohort was employed full-time compared to 50% of the 2020 cohort. The 2021 cohort had a 10% relapse rate and zero rearrests. “These improvements directly correlate to Recovery Pathways’ real-time connection to individuals at the moment of need. There’s no letting chaos get you back to the point of giving up,” said Lundgren. “Individuals are enrolled in Recovery Pathways when they enter treatment court. Content is delivered in small bites, via text, outside of programhours. Clients can also initiate contact or ask for specific types of support, so the program is bi-directional. It reinforces treatment and prepares individuals for court hearings. Escalation protocols trigger automatic staff outreach. When they graduate, Recovery Pathways goes with clients,” Lundgren explained. The timing and frequency of messages vary by the track each individual is enrolled in, and are adjusted to meet each individual’s needs. The program also supports providers during the workforce crisis while enhancing the quality of care. “We aim to increase engagement without hiring more staff. Without additional staff time, Recovery Pathways significantly boosts the frequency of staff/client connects, provides alerts to escalating crisis that staff would not otherwise have, simplifies location and storage of treatment homework, and somuch more,” Lundgren said. Recovery Pathways also includes a caregiver track. “Substance use disorder is a family disease. Families go through the same recovery as their loved ones at the same cadence,” said Deena Cohen, MPA, CADC, CTTS, WTS, Director of Community Affairs and Development. “They receive different messages, including resources, such as AlAnon, specific towhere they live, to get support from others with the same experiences.” “Recovery Pathways helps build trust and credibility. The messages include the provider’s name, not GoMo’s, and the system uses mechanisms so the messages feel personal, not robotic. It’s intimate because it comes into the privacy of clients’ homes. This program is believing in them, but they believe in themselves,” Cohen said. Lundgren summed up the need, saying, “Jails and prisons are bursting at the seams. We need to empty them and prevent recidivism. We must harness every tool in our power to support recovery and a healthy community and bring down the costs of expensive interventions and incarceration.” (continued frompage 9)