Great Lakes ATTC: Helping Build Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care

Implementation, the final phase of the ATTC Technology Transfer Model, moves an innovation into routine practice in real-world settings.

For the Great Lakes ATTC, implementing Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care in real-world settings has been a particular focus since the concept first began to take shape. (See related blog post: Building a Science of Recovery: The Pinnacle ATTC Achievement.)

SAMHSA defines a Recovery Oriented System of Care as:

“A coordinated network of community-based services and supports that is person-centered and builds on the strengths and resiliencies of individuals, families, and communities to achieve abstinence and improved health, wellness and quality of life for those with or at risk.” (SAMHSA, 2011)

The Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care Illinois State Network (ROSC-ISN)

The Great Lakes ATTC provides training and technical assistance for ROSC implementation projects throughout the six-state region at the state, county, and local levels. 

One example of a statewide initiative currently underway is the Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care Illinois Statewide Network (ROSC-ISN), launched by the Illinois DHS in the fall of 2018 under the leadership of Dani Kirby, director of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR) at IDHS. Rex Alexander, also of IDHS SUPR, serves as the project director for ROSC-ISN.

“Our technical assistance has included all of the coordination, planning, and delivery for the ROSC-ISN,” says Scott Gatzke, Great Lakes TA coordinator for the project. “This includes face-to-face meetings, one-on-one coaching calls, monthly peer learning calls, and report-out sessions where participants share lessons learned.”

The goal of ROSC-ISN to help eight local ROSC Councils throughout the state build community-based recovery supports tailored to the unique needs of the community. Each ROSC Council has a lead agency that provides leadership for the local council, with support from IDHS/SUPR.

One of those lead agencies is the Chicago Recovery Communities Coalition, a peer-driven, peer-run Recovery Community Organization founded by Dora Dantzler-Wright.

“We are collaborating with organizations that provide substance use disorder services to identify service gaps,” explains Dantzler-Wright. “Being part of the ROSC-ISN has enabled us to reach over 13 communities on the west side of Chicago, provide information to those agencies, and collect data. This state initiative is helping our RCO to work on a system transformation.”

Adds Gatzke, “The ultimate goal of this project is to create multiple stand-alone Recovery Community Organizations in Illinois that will spin off from the ROSC Councils. The system change that emerges from this important initiative will provide valuable lessons that our Center can apply in other ROSC initiatives in our region and beyond.”