Resource Library

Outreach Services and Recovery Management: The New Pathways Approach

One of the distinctive features of the recovery-focused behavioral health systems transformation process in the City of Philadelphia has been the concerted effort to shorten addiction careers and extend recovery careers through programs of assertive community outreach. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate such efforts through a description of the outreach services provided through New Pathways and New Pathways for Women, community-based recovery support programs located in North Philadelphia. This paper provides an overview of outreach services at New Pathways, explores the philosophical foundations of these services and describes the delivery of these services from the perspective of those delivering and receiving these services. Our intended audience for this paper is addiction treatment program personnel and recovery support specialists working within recovery community organizations who are interested in expanding community-based outreach services. The sources drawn upon in this paper include excerpts from interviews conducted by the lead author with the New Pathways staff and service consumers.