Working Together to Reduce Addiction:
National Substance Abuse Conference 2007

The Association of Halfway House Alcoholism Programs and United Way held a Welcome Reception for the AHHAP Crossroads National Substance Abuse Conference for National Leaders last May.  The 42nd Annual AHHAP Training Conference and Crossroads Conference took place May 17th – 19th in New Orleans with the theme “National, State and Local Initiatives Working Together to Reduce Addiction.”

The reception welcomed conference participants and keynote speakers including Michael Duffy - Assistant Secretary (Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals - Office for Addictive Disorders), Amy Chandler -Senior Legislative Aid for Councilwoman Shelly Midura, and Conference Co-Chairs Katherine Martin and Jay Conrad.

“When it comes to addiction services, we had an overwhelming demand from an already inept system before the storm,” said Duffy, “To tell someone to wait is to doom them to addiction or death.  We are grateful to faith-based and non-profit organizations who service those from New Orleans, and the rest of Louisiana, suffering addiction.”

The reception also featured two exhibits.  United Way for the GNOA created an exhibit entitled “Faces of Katrina,” featuring photos of devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and how it affected the health and lives of the community, as well as photos of recovering and rebuilding in hopes of a bright future.

O’Brien House Prevention Services Departments presented an exhibit, “Through My Eyes,” a Youth Program Participants Poster Exhibit.  “Through My Eyes” was originally presented during Alcohol Awareness Month in April 2007.

“We asked out youth to portray what they saw in their communities,” said Yolanda Mulky of O’Brien House, “Children tend to watch everything we do, and this was a way to see what they see.  Through this, the children express themselves to show what they feel - healing the child, the adult, and the family.”

Topics addressed at the conference included: Sustainability and Business Plan Development, Workforce Investments, Legislative Initiatives and Concerns, and much more.  For more information, please visit the website at http://www.ahhap.org/.

AHHAP represents over 1500 residential facilities providing long-term, cost effective recovery services to over 120,000 individuals per year. AHHAP members have successfully affected millions of lives for over 30 years, returning individuals to sober, productive living within their families and communities.