New Port Richey launches Recovery Coach Academy

The Packard Institute has been bringing young adults who struggle with substance use disorders out to kayak the Nature Coast for a decade now. This year, with support from the United Way, we launched our Recovery Coach Academy, which trains and fields Recovery Coaches in a variety of settings (see attached article). This "peer to peer" intervention is proving to be a game changer as we combat the addiction and overdose epidemic. Those who have found successful addiction recovery pathways have a unique and empowering gift to bring.

While we've already graduated several academy classes in Ohio, this October we will train our first Florida Recovery Coach Academy, scheduled Oct. 19, 20, 21 & 22 in New Port Richey. Among the October class we will be training retired priest Art Stevens, who at age 94 is set to become the world's senior-most Recovery Coach. Art is already a national treasure, as a Recovery Coach, Art will bring much healing to Florida's addiction recovery community.

As the research is proving, this approach can have a profound impact on our communities, and we have the ability to offer limited scholarships to our Florida candidates.

For academy and scholarship applications, visit thepackardinstitute.com

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