HHS announces winners of the Recovery Innovation Challenge
Read the initial news release announcing the challenge.
SAMHSA has a long history of advancing Recovery Support dating back to the 1980s with the Community Support Program and the 1990s, when the first Recovery Community Support Programs were funded. SAMHSA is continuing this commitment by establishing an Office of Recovery, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to advance the agency’s commitment to support recovery for all Americans. The Office of Recovery will serve as a national clearinghouse and resource for recovery services across the mental health, substance use, and co-occurring domains to promote recovery by working in partnership with recovery community leaders.
In particular, SAMHSA aims to learn the following:
- What challenges have you experienced in advancing recovery in your organization, or, in your local or state systems?
- How are you advancing recovery in your organization, or, in your local or state systems? What innovations have you developed to advance recovery?
- How do you know your efforts are working? How do you measure your success?
SAMHSA recognizes that the process of recovery is highly personal and occurs via many pathways. As such, SAMHSA’s working definition of recovery defines recovery as a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives and strive to reach their full potential. SAMHSA also recognizes four major dimensions of recovery:
- Health: overcoming or managing one’s disease(s) or symptoms, and making informed, healthy choices that support physical and emotional well-being
- Home: having a stable and safe place to live
- Purpose: conducting meaningful daily activities, such as a job, school volunteerism, family caretaking, or creative endeavors, and the independence, income, and resources to participate in society
- Community: having relationships and social networks that provide support, friendship, love, and hope
The Goal
The goal of this challenge is to identify innovative practices developed by individuals, groups, and organizations or within state systems that advanced recovery in the decade since SAMHSA established its working definition of recovery. This challenge will allow participants to share details about innovative practices and models being used to promote recovery on the ground and to demonstrate how these innovations have expanded upon SAMHSA’s definition and overcome challenges in incorporating recovery into their services or systems.
SAMHSA is seeking to use the challenge vehicle to directly engage with a larger and more diverse number of organizations providing recovery services throughout the continuum of care for behavioral health.
Awards Information
This challenge competition will offer up to ten awards. The challenge purse is up to $400,000.
How to Participate
Visit Challenge.gov to learn how to enter SAMHSA’s Recovery Innovation Challenge, as well as eligibility, participation rules and requirements.
All submission materials must be submitted through Challenge.gov by the specified submission deadline date and time.
For any questions regarding the challenge, email challenge@samhsa.hhs.gov.