Associations View Collaborative Effort as Critical to Long Term Success

For Immediate Release - Alexandria, VA/Lancaster, PA

Donovan Kuehn
703-741-7686, ext. 125
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Two of the largest and best recognized addiction-focused organizations in the U.S. have combined their resources to make their voices heard in the nation's capital and in other state and local arenas.

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, and the National Association for Treatment Providers (NAATP) are combining their public policy efforts in Washington, D.C. and other appropriate venues.

NAATP, represents over 300 organizations delivering addiction treatment throughout the United States and overseas, while NAADAC comprises over 8,000 members throughout the world.

Both organizations have several common areas of interest for collaboration and see complimentary roles for their unique expertise. Through the collaborative effort in the area of public policy/government relations, NAATP and NAADAC will be able to drawn on the combined leadership and networking models already in place and enable the two organizations to combine their resources and function as a single voice in this area.

"This is an historic opportunity to show that we are stronger when we add our voices together. We recognize that with a united voice we are able to more effectively promote a common legislative and public policy agenda," said NAADAC Executive Director Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, NCAC II, CCDC III, SAP.

"Perhaps for the first time we are moving beyond our individual turf and taking the important collaborative steps to clearly present a unified position on important issues related to addiction and addition treatment. This may well be a model for future efforts and for other organizations to join with us," said NAATP President/CEP, Ronald J. Hunsicker, D. Min., FACATA.

NAATP and NAADAC's new partnership will establish the presence of an experienced and influential staff to work directly with legislators and decision makers; dedicate a full-time legislative liaison who will promote the both organizations' national agenda and incorporate research and expertise from the state level; and will focus on the development of positive public policy goals aimed at strengthening addiction services. This collaborative effort will establish a single Department of Public Policy and Government Relations which will serve the needs of both organizations.

"This initiative will provide us with the opportunity to build a new generation of leadership, promote our workforce development goals of recruitment, retention and rewards for addiction services professionals, will allow our organizations to cooperate on research and education that will move our profession forward and will allow us to speak as a single voice on such important themes as recovery, discrimination and treatment as it relates to the disease of addiction," said Cynthia Moreno Tuohy and Ronald J. Hunsicker as they announced the launching of this effort.

This initiative is focused purely on the advocacy efforts of both organizations and will not merge other aspects of the associations.