Dear Recovery Friendly Workplaces:

During this time, we know that you are all hard at work to keep your employees and broader communities safe and healthy. We draw strength and inspiration from all of you and hope that you are also finding sources of strength and inspiration during this time.

Since our email last week, some additional  virtual  resources have come to our attention that we wanted to let you know about (all times given are in EST):

·         Virtual recovery resources compiled by SAMHSA: https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/virtual-recovery-resources.pdf  

·         SOS Recovery Community Organization has compiled a wonderful page full of information on virtual meetings and services: https://straffordrecovery.org/virtual-meetings/. Some of the supports listed include

o   All Recovery meetings that are offered at 7am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm, and 11pm 7 days a week (There are also LGBTQ+ and Woman’s All Recovery meetings – see the link for details.)

o   Moms in Recovery Mon at 5pm & Dads in Recovery Mon at 1pm

o   Family Support meetings that are offered at 8pm 7 days a week (both of these meetings are offered by a collaboration of Unity Recovery, WEconnect Health Management, Alano Club of Portland, and SOS)

o   Recovery Planning Groups, which focus on helping people build recovery capital (internal and external resources that assist individuals in their recovery) at 10am and 5pm 7 days a week (hosted by staff at SOS Recovery who are Certified Recovery Support Workers)

o   Yoga in Recovery sessions hosted by Yoga in Action on Mon/Wed/Fri at 11am and Thurs at 4pm

o   Coaching and telephone recovery supports. To register for coaching or telephone recovery supports, call SOS at 603-841-2350. Their phones are being answered Mon-Sat, 9am-8pm, and Sun, 12pm-4pm. You can also email them at info@sosrco.org.

·         RecoveryLink™ is a technologically-informed platform that helps connect users to a wide array of recovery support tools. They are currently working with a variety of partners - WEconnect Health, Alano Club of Portland, Unity Recovery, SOS Recovery, The Recovery Gym, Unity Yoga, Zoom, and Discord - to offer 24/7 FREE access to digital recovery supports during COVID-19. Supports include recovery meetings, physical activities, meditation, and more: https://myrecoverylink.com/digital-recovery-support/.

·         To help support individuals in recovery from substance use disorder, Addiction Policy Forum has partnered with CHESS Health to launch the Connections App, a free smartphone app that helps support people in recovery, including through promoting pro-social engagement. You can learn more here: https://www.addictionpolicy.org/connections-app.

·         For those in the Greater Manchester area, Makin' It Happen is putting out information on resources, including some on managing stress and anxiety: https://www.mih4u.org/staying-connected-to-your-recovery-during-covid-19/. Hope for New Hampshire Recovery (with locations in Manchester and Berlin) has compiled a great list of virtual resources, including links to a variety of 12-step fellowships, SMART recovery meetings, 3 Principles, and more. Telephone supports are available for members: http://www.hopefornhrecovery.org/.

·         RecoverYdia is offering AA meetings 7 days a week at 6:30am, 12pm, and 7pm, and you may also request a Live Peer Support meeting: https://www.recoverydia.com/digital-peer-support.

·         Headrest of the Upper Valley notes that, especially during this time, people may feel anxious, lonely, scared, or sad. If you need someone to talk to or know someone who does, please call their 24/7 Crisis Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK. Their trained counselors are here for you.

·         Additionally, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline and chat available to anyone in the U.S. in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. By dialing 1-800-273-TALK (8255), the call is routed to the nearest crisis center in their national network of crisis centers.

·         NAMI New Hampshire is also a great resource for mental health supports. Check out their Facebook page and/or website for more info: https://www.naminh.org/. As Ken Norton, NAMI NH's Executive Director notes, during this time, all of New Hampshire’s 10 community mental health centers will remain open, and "[m]any in-home mental health supports are now occurring by phone, text or other remote devices." Mr. Norton will be doing a Facebook Live session on Thurs, 3/26 at 7pm on how New Hampshire’s mental health supports are evolving to meet current needs, in addition to tips on managing mental health during stressful times. The following article provides further information on the status of mental health supports in NH and tips on self-care: https://bit.ly/FostersMentalHealth.

·         Connections Peer Support Center serves adults in the NH Seacoast Region. They will still be operating their free Warmline service for their members during this time. Becoming a member is free, confidential, and easy. Unlike crisis hotlines, a Warmline exists as a resource when someone simply feels the need for contact or support. Their staff is trained in Intentional Peer Support (IPS). To learn more, check out their website: http://connectionspeersupport.org/warm-line/. For a full list of Peer Support Agencies in NH who offer free Warmlines, please visit https://bit.ly/PeerSupportWarmlines.

·         The Crisis Text Line is a free, 24/7, text-based support for those in crisis. To use this resource, just text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the US to text with a trained Crisis Counselor. Texters can discuss a wide range of issues, including anxiety (including around the Coronavirus), depression, and more. To learn more, check out their website: https://www.crisistextline.org/.

·         SAMHSA has also compiled tips for taking care of behavioral health during an infectious disease outbreak: https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/tips-social-distancing-quarantine-isolation-031620.pdf.

·         Starting Mon, 3/23, Fit Body Transformations will be hosting live virtual group training sessions Mon-Fri at 6am and 9am. They are also hosting live Check-ins Mon/Wed/Fri at 12pm. They also have added pre-recorded workouts that will be available to the public free of charge: https://www.facebook.com/162399617143222/posts/2754840717899086/?d=n.

·         If you are interested in learning more about the expansion of insurance coverage for telehealth services, please see the following link: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/ombp/medicaid/documents/telehealth-covid19.pdf.

·         Last, if you have questions about COVID-19, finding treatment resources, or additional mental health resources or other support services, please call 2-1-1 or visit their website at 211nh.org.

While this is not an exhaustive list of resources, we hope it is helpful. As always, we encourage you to check in with your local community supports, including your local Recovery Community Organization (RCO), which can be looked up on NH Recovery Hub's website (http://nhrecoveryhub.org/), and Public Health Network (PHN) (https://nhphn.org/who-we-are/public-health-networks/) to see what else may be available to you. Your local RCO may be offering their own set of virtual meetings, coaching, and telephone services, and we encourage you to call them to find out what they are offering. Additionally, we plan to highlight additional organizations in future posts.

We are wishing everyone well as we continue to navigate the current challenges and create new opportunities for synergy, collaboration, and support. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any related questions, thoughts, or concerns. Thank you, and be well.