Each September, National Recovery Month is observed to help promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible.
Governors are at the forefront of measures to prevent overdoses and treat substance use disorders. During National Recovery Month, many Governors have been taking actions to help highlight the awareness month and raise awareness about some of the policies happening in their states. Examples include:
In Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear held an event at the State Capitol with state and local leaders and recovery advocates to recognize Recovery Month in Kentucky. At the event, the Governor certified four counties as Recovery Ready Communities, bringing the total to 18, and ceremonially signed three pieces of legislation supporting addiction recovery in the commonwealth.
In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine marked the start of Recovery Month by announcing a new program designed to create job opportunities for people in recovery, combat the stigma surrounding addiction and mental illness, and provide a boost to Ohio businesses. Governor DeWine joined with local community officials and business leaders to hold an event at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library to launch the new Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace program.
The country’s First Spouses are also leading efforts to raise awareness about National Recovery Month and to help augment the work Governors and states are leading to address the country’s overdose epidemic.
This year, Virginia First Lady Suzzanne Youngkin and New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy launched an initiative to engage the nation’s First Spouses to help raise awareness about the risks of fentanyl and to prevent overdose. As part of the First Spouses’ initiative, Mrs. Youngkin and Mrs. Murphy encouraged Governors and First Spouses to help mark August 21 as National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day and August 31 as International Overdose Awareness Day.
Mrs. Youngkin and Mrs. Murphy worked with the National Governors Association (NGA) to organize a briefing for Governors’ staff members and First Spouses to hear from some of the country’s leading experts about national campaigns underway to address the drug overdose epidemic.
Mrs. Youngkin and Mrs. Murphy also wrote the op-ed “We Need a New Way to Talk to Kids About Drugs,” published by Newsweek, to raise awareness about the rise of deadly fentanyl and the need to find new ways talk to young people about drugs to help prevent overdose.
During National Recovery Month, Mrs. Youngkin and Mrs. Murphy visited the Health Sciences Academy at Bayside High School as part of their bipartisan push to tackle the ongoing overdose crisis through education and awareness. Both First Ladies took a student-led tour of the high school and participated in a rapid, REVIVE! training followed by two, round-table discussions with students and educators to better understand views surrounding substance use disorders and the dangers of fentanyl.
In July, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin met with First Spouses to discuss the value of raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, sharing: “I believe there’s an opportunity for all of us to tackle the fentanyl crisis in a variety of ways, but top of the list is just awareness education [ … ] this is just a moment for us to gather everyone together and say this matters, and it’s not that hard for us to work together to raise awareness.”
At NGA’s 2024 Winter Meeting, the nation’s First Spouses joined together in a session to raise awareness about overdose prevention initiatives and to receive training on how to use naloxone, with the participating First Spouses leaving the meeting with the overdose reversal medication in-hand.
Visit NGA’s Substance Use Disorder and Addiction webpage to learn more about work Governors and states are leading to address the opioid epidemic and support recovery programs. Additional questions can be directed to Marianne Gibson, NGA’s Program Director for Health.
