State Representative Houston Gaines (R-Athens) was recently named a 2019 Champion of Recovery and friend of the Georgia Recovery Community by the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse (GCSA) for his work on House Bill 217, which authorizes syringe services programs in Georgia, during the 2019 legislative session. Rep. Gaines received this award at an event to launch The Georgia Recovers Project, where he also served as a speaker for the event.   

“I was proud to sponsor HB 217 this session and am honored to be recognized for our work on this important legislation,” said Rep. Gaines. “This measure is a critical step in tackling the opioid epidemic in our state, while also curbing the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C. This commonsense bill will save lives and lower healthcare costs for all Georgians.”

The Georgia Recovers Project is funded by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities via the Trump Administration’s federal initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse. The project initiates a statewide recovery marketing campaign sharing positive messages of hope through video stories and information about where to find further recovery support. This project is the first time a state government has put a strong and sustained focus on recovery in relationship to the addiction crisis. One of the objectives of the project is to reduce stigma associated with substance use disorder.

The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse serves as the voice for the more than 800,000 people who are in recovery in Georgia. The council partners with The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, The Georgia Department of Community Health, The Georgia Department of Community Supervision and The Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. The policy agenda of GCSA is directed by the expressed needs of people in recovery across the state of Georgia. GCSA’s policy goals are aimed at improving the quality of life for people in recovery and seeking recovery by improving the quality of recovery resources and expanding access to those resources.