Pub. 1 2019 Issue 3

W ho would have thought that watching someone crumple up a piece of paper could trigger emotions, sympathy, and empathy to an audience? This was the response from some of us while listen- ing to a mother tell us how her son was treated when he had a substance abuse disorder … he was treated like trash. On April 25th, the NHADA staff was invited to attend a lunch and learn as part of our Recovery Friendly Work- place Initiative. A benefit of being a Recovery Friendly Workplace is access to free training for your staff on a variety of topics. For this lunch and learn we chose to learn more about NH 211 and understanding substance abuse disorders and the stigma associated with them. We had four amazing speakers. The overview of NH 211 was very informative, showing us ways to access information and services in NH ranging from free tax prep to accessing treatment facilities. One speaker focused on the stigma of substance abuse and explained to us the language that is more appropriate to use when discussing substance abuse. The one that hit home for most of us was Donna Mar- ston; she is the author of Peeling the Onion: A mother’s journey of healing and learning through the years of my son’s drug addiction and recovery. Her powerful story showed us that even the “perfect” family is not immune to substance abuse. Her story became a career and a passion and she is helping others through her work and support groups. Everyone is touched in some way by the effects of substance abuse; it is everywhere and it seems most of us know someone or may even have a family member who is affected. This educational session was very eye opening for us. NHADA encourages members to look into Governor Sununu’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative and see if it's something you might like to adopt. The process is really about education and openness. Our staff has been assigned a Recover Friendly Advisor as well as Substance Misuse Prevention Coordinator who walked us through the process and who are there for us for ongoing education as we need it. This was our first lunch and learn with them, and the evaluations showed staff is eager for additional information, so we will be planning another in the fall. If you have questions or want to learn more, we are happy to refer you to our contacts; email Marta and she can assist. msilakka@nhada.com NHADA StaffAttendan Informative LunchandLearn MARTA SILAKKA RN, BSN, CCM NURSE CASE MANAGER N E W H A M P S H I R E 13