Blog

A Lasting Legacy: Celebrating Five Years of Project FREEDOM

Five Years of Impact When Project FREEDOM began, our five-year goals were to: By the conclusion of the grant, Project FREEDOM will have: These accomplishments would not have been possible…
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Training and Knowledge: Strengthening Alabama’s Helping Professionals

Why do training and knowledge matter? Education and training go beyond professional development and are key in the field of substance use as it is an ever-changing landscape. Staying informed…
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What’s in a job? – An employment perspective in long-term recovery and community enrichment

Why then, when 75 percent of individuals diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI) declare their desire to work, are only 15 percent employed at any given time? We know…
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Building a Sustainable Program: From the Public Health Perspective 

Why does it matter? What are the benefits?  Is it sustainable?  Program success truly happens when health programs become an extension of the community they serve. Research in implementation science…
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SBIRT in Alabama: Small Conversations That Make a Big Difference  

SBIRT offers a proactive approach. Instead of waiting for a crisis, it creates space for early identification and early action. When substance use is identified at lower-risk levels, brief intervention conversations can significantly reduce use….
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Blog: Changing Lives Through Lived Experience: How Peer Support Specialists Are Transforming Recovery in Alabama

VitAL collaborates with Peer Support Specialists across the state to improve the lives of Alabamians with substance use disorders and mental health challenges. Peer Support Specialists have played a key…
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Teamwork makes the dream work.   By Paige Parish, EdD, LICSW Together, everyone achieves more. Many hands make light work.   Everywhere you look, there are teams: teachers and parents teaming up to create the best educational opportunities…
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