New Yorkers in Recovery from Addiction to Speak Out

New Yorkers who are in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs and living with chronic health issues like HIV/ AIDS, Hepatitis C and other health conditions are encouraged to participate in a Feb. 25 Community Listening Forum. The forum will yield critical information needed to address obstacles facing people seeking or in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs who are also managing other chronic health conditions.

“For people in or seeking addiction recovery who are also living with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and co-occurring health issues, managing care for these conditions is critical for them to maintain their recovery and realize their full potential. We look forward to hearing about people’s lived experiences, what has worked for them, and what hasn’t,” said Pat Taylor, Executive Director of Faces & Voices of Recovery, the organization sponsoring the event along with Beth Israel Medical Center, Exponents, Inc., Friends of Recovery-New York, and the National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery.

The forum will feature people in recovery, their friends, family members and allies speaking to a panel of distinguished “listeners” including Dr. H. Westley Clark, Director of the federal government’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Dr. Adam Karpati, Executive Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Mental Hygiene, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene.

Other invited panelists include New York State Senator Tom Duane, New York State Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez, and Dr. Monica Sweeney, Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention & Control, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene.

Panelists will hear and respond to personal testimonies on concerns like accessing care, treatment and recovery supports for addiction and other health conditions, the role of primary care and peer supports in maintaining and strengthening recovery, and other issues facing people in recovery from addiction to alcohol or other drugs who also manage a chronic health condition.

The Community Listening Forum is supported by SAMHSA. For more information and to participate, visit

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