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Shawn Dorius earns grant to advance substance use recovery

Shawn Dorius, associate professor of sociology, and his team of researchers have received a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to advance substance use recovery in the Iowa.

In this project, the researchers provide scientific support to the Iowa Department of Public Health as it works to advance substance use recovery resources in Iowa. The Substance Abuse Bureau strives to better address the unmet needs of individuals and families receiving treatment for substance use but lack the ongoing resources and community support essential for long-term recovery. The ISU team will conduct a systematic inventory of existing recovery resources in Iowa, perform an environmental scan of national Recovery Community Centers (RCC) and Recovery Community Organizations (RCO), including their organizational structure, funding models, and founding experience. These data and related work will provide the Iowa substance use recovery community with a toolkit for developing a recovery community center network in Iowa. ISU will carry out the proposed activities within a student-centered, policy-focused training environment that builds capacity for future recovery network development and state collaborations.