Two local recovery organizations will host a regional meeting next month to talk about how Florida supports people recovering from substance use disorder.
Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services (OARS) and Discover & Recover St. Johns County will hold the event from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 100 Whetstone Place, Suite 303, in St. Augustine. The meeting is titled “Data to Dialogue: Strengthening Peer Support in Florida’s Substance Use System of Care.”
The two groups are partnering with the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce (FCBHW) to put on the event.
Why the meeting is happening
The convening is part of a statewide effort to turn research findings into real changes in how peer support services work. Peer support workers are people who have lived through addiction and recovery themselves, and who help others going through it.
The research behind the meeting comes from a study the FCBHW was hired to complete. The Florida Department of Children and Families contracted the center to carry out a full evaluation of certified recovery peer specialists working in the state’s publicly funded adult substance use system of care. The evaluation was required by state law and paid for through the Opioid Settlement Trust Fund.
To complete the study, researchers interviewed stakeholders, ran surveys and reviewed state policies. The goal was to find out how well peer support services work, and what gets in the way of people using them.
Organizers said the study itself is finished, but the work is not over.
What will happen Aug. 5
The two-hour session will bring community stakeholders together to go over the study’s main findings, talk about what those findings mean locally, and work together on updated recommendations. Those recommendations are meant to improve peer support services across Florida’s Northeast region.
Brock Birtolo, executive director of Flagler OARS, will speak at the event.
“Data only becomes meaningful when the people closest to the work have a chance to interpret it and shape what happens next,” Birtolo said. “This dialogue is an opportunity for stakeholders across our region to strengthen peer support infrastructure and ensure the recommendations reflect real-world needs.”
How to attend
Registration information and other event details are posted at https://l1nq.com/7a5c07r.
Discover & Recover St. Johns County is located at 3105 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd., C2, St. Augustine, FL 32084. The center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It can be reached at 386-569-7930 or online at https://discoverrecover.org.
Discover & Recover provides education, support and peer services to people and families affected by substance use disorder. Its work includes teaching about the recovery community and offering Narcan training. The center is a project of Flagler OARS and is funded through LSF.
The post From Data to Dialogue: St. Augustine Meeting to Shape the Future of Peer Support in Florida first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
