Building Community Recovery Capital: A Recovery Ecosystem Approach

Developing a recovery ecosystem in Green Bay to enhance long-term recovery from substance use disorder

Full Project Name:Building Community Recovery Capital: A Recovery Ecosystem ApproachPrimary Community Organization:WASH Community IncPrimary Academic Partner:Katinka Hooyer, PhD, Family MedicineAward Amount:$249,990

Award Date

July2024

Project Duration:24 months

Project Summary:

In Wisconsin, substance use disorder (SUD) is one of the leading causes of death and hospitalization, affecting 456,000 residents and costing up to $6.8 billion. Vulnerable groups like BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, homeless, rural, and low-income populations experience disproportionate impacts of SUD, which can perpetuate cycles of trauma and illness. Community-based recovery programs are crucial to addressing these challenges and improving health outcomes.

The Wisconsin Association of Sober Housing (WASH) will work with MCW and UW Population Health Institute researchers to develop a local recovery ecosystem in Green Bay. Their approach, based on a social model of recovery, emphasizes mutual support among residents to cultivate internal resources like self-esteem and coping skills, complemented by external community support. The project aims to establish a recovery residence network, foster a collaborative recovery ecosystem, and create a toolkit to aid other communities in enhancing their recovery infrastructure across Wisconsin.

Community partners: UW Population Health Institute, Brown County Alcohol and Drug Coalition, Serenity House of Green Bay, Mandolin Foundation, Power of Peace Housing and Recovery Services, Jackie Nitschke Center

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:

Convened a multitude of diverse community stakeholders to discuss community recovery ecosystems to provide a coordinated approach to supporting long-term recovery from substance use disorder (SUD)
Conducted community meetings, developed community maps of existing recovery resources, identified service gaps, and identified primary community priorities for improvement recovery support in the community
Created a toolkit which summarizes project activities to provide general guidance for Green Bay as similar efforts continue to develop in the community
Utilized PhotoVoice process throughout the project to spark conversations on recovery-oriented systems of care which led to an invitation to the project team to adapt a PhotoVoice training workshop to fit the needs of the county-led stigma reduction campaign