Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment has historically operated outside of traditional healthcare due to stigma and a lack of true integration, but in reality, recovery support services have been leading the way in patient-centered, peer-based, community-driven care—an approach that healthcare is now striving to adopt. As healthcare moves toward whole-person, non-acute models of care, the time is now for the recovery field to refine its approach and take advantage of new care delivery models such as community health workers and consumer-directed healthcare services.
This keynote will explore how integrating recovery supports into hospital and community-based healthcare settings can drive innovation, improve outcomes, and scale sustainable models of care by leveraging attraction, not promotion—not only for individuals with SUD but also for the healthcare professionals providing services.
Key topics include:
- Embedding full-time, certified recovery specialists into care teams to enhance provider buy-in, patient engagement, and long-term success.
- Leveraging SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) to create early intervention touchpoints.
- Using real-time data to drive decision-making and measure impact.
- Implementing upstream prevention strategies and fostering community-based coalitions within healthcare systems to address social determinants of health.
- Integrating harm reduction principles to create compassionate, patient-centered services that meet people where they are.
- Navigating new reimbursement structures to sustain and expand recovery support programs.
- Closing the gap between intention and action by shifting from theoretical commitment to tangible, system-wide change.
- Creating a culture of attraction, not promotion—engaging healthcare professionals in recovery-focused care through demonstrated success, shared values, and patient impact.
By harnessing data-driven insights and aligning with evolving healthcare models, the recovery field is uniquely positioned to lead the way in transforming care delivery. Rather than struggling to keep pace with healthcare, recovery support services are actually ahead of the curve—offering a blueprint for integrating clinical and non-clinical roles, peer-based support, and holistic, patient-centered treatment approaches that benefit both patients and providers.
