Center for Integrated Recovery and Wellness Studies Launches This Spring
Monday, Jan 13, 2025
The College of Social Work and Criminal Justice is launching a new center dedicated to advancing research into substance use recovery and promoting community partnerships: The Center for Integrated Recovery and Wellness Studies!
The Center鈥檚 mission is to explore and address the role of social determinants and behavioral health factors that influence well-being across communities, with a focus on strengthening individual and community wellness, resilience, and recovery from substance use disorder and co-occurring mental illness.
Naelys Luna, PhD, MSW, founding dean of the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice and professor of social work, and Heather Howard, PhD, MSW, LICSW, associate professor, collaborated extensively over several years with Palm Beach County Community Services to build and advance the proposal to establish this transformative center.
鈥淭hree years ago, Palm Beach County Community Services reached out to Florida Atlantic and we started a partnership,鈥 said Howard. 鈥淪ince then, we鈥檝e done some really great work together in thinking about evidence-based practices and interventions we can employ to address the opioid crisis.鈥
The new center (called CIRWS for short) will provide a place where academic researchers and community organizations on the front lines of treatment can come together for greater learning and collaboration. Michael Robinson, PhD, MSSW, CAADC, who became the director of the Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work in Summer 2024, will serve as the founding director of the CIRWS.
鈥淒r. Robinson鈥檚 leadership will be instrumental in advancing the Center鈥檚 critical mission in collaboration with our community partners, and I am excited to see him take on this important role,鈥 said Dean Luna. 鈥淚t is an honor for our college to house this center, which embodies our commitment to innovation and aligns with both the college's and university's strategic goals.鈥
CIRWS also seeks to enhance conversation between a range of professionals who are studying and publishing on alcohol and substance use issues in different niches and subfields and provides greater opportunities for the university to attract grant funding for future studies.
鈥淭he Center will serve as a vital resource for the state of Florida, leading the charge to establish a statewide hub for substance use research," said Dr. Robinson. "This initiative is a testament to visionary leadership, and I extend my deepest gratitude to Heather Howard and Dean Luna for their forward-thinking approach in bringing this vision to life.鈥
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Facts about Alcohol and Drug Use
According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:
- 17.82% of adults in the U.S. had a substance use disorder in the past year, totaling over 45 million people
- 28.9 million people ages 12 and older (10.2% in this age group) had alcohol use disorder in the past year, including:
- 16.8 million males ages 12 and older (12.1% in this age group)
- 12.0 million females ages 12 and older (8.3% in this age group)
- 9.41% of adults in America had a drug use disorder in the past year
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Amplifying Florida Atlantic鈥檚 Voice
One of the aims in creating CIRWS is to amplify the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice鈥檚 voice in public policy.
鈥淭he Center demonstrates that our school has the expertise and experts in this area to influence practice and policy decisions in the state of Florida,鈥 said Dr. Howard. 听鈥淚t makes it easier to really implement what鈥檚 happening in current research. When you collaborate with community organizations, you can have that practice-informed research and research-informed practice that comes from a reciprocal relationship.鈥
The new Center for Integrated Recovery and Wellness Studies will:
- Collaborate with local community organizations and recovery centers to create a designated space for research and learning
- Support community partners in obtaining grants and other sustained funding sources
- Establish a culture of best practices using research to advance wellness and create recovery-oriented systems of care
- Create and maintain a live data dashboard for community and individual wellness with Palm Beach County Community Services and Commonly Well, a substance use recovery organization that uses a data-driven model called the Recovery Capital Index to facilitate greater cross-agency collaboration
- Research workshops and interprofessional opportunities for community partners and graduate students in the 大象传媒 College of Social Work and Criminal Justice, the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, the Lynn College of Nursing, the Schmidt College of Medicine, and other colleges and units across Florida Atlantic
鈥淭he Center will have a significant positive impact on individuals, families, and communities impacted by substance use disorders,鈥 said Dr. Robinson. 听鈥淭his Center will support community-engaged research and bridge the gap in implementing research findings within the community. This reciprocal relationship is paramount in ensuring research-informed policy and practice and communities informing areas to explore in research regarding recovery.鈥
Palm Beach County Community Services has agreed to provide $177,000 in initial funding for the new center over the first two years. Additional money will come from the university and through grants.听
鈥淭his initiative represents a remarkable opportunity to amplify the impact of our college, aligning closely with our core values and strategic priorities while fostering innovation and meaningful collaboration across our community and beyond,鈥 said Dean Luna.
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Generous Supporters and Partners
We wish to offer tremendous gratitude to the Palm Beach County Office of Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder and the Florida Association of Recovery Residencies, whose funding helped bring the Center to life.
We also want to thank our dedicated collaborators whose ideas and partnerships support the impactful research and learning in the critically important area of integrated recovery and wellness:
- Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute
- Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
- Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
- Florida State University
- Hanley Foundation
For more information, please visit the Center鈥檚 website or email cirws@fau.edu.