Announce outcomes of meeting in Washington DC on February 19th and 20th

For Immediate Release - Washington, DC

Cynthia Moreno Tuohy 301.755.4256

The Presidents and Chairs of the National Association for Addiction Professionals, (NAADAC), the National Certification Commission (NCC), the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (ICRC) and the Society of Credentialed Addiction Professionals (S.CAP) today announced the outcomes of a meeting of their senior leadership in Washington DC on February 19th and 20th.

The meeting was held to discuss specific ways the four organizations will jointly address addiction professional certification, education and public policy related issues.

At the conclusion of in-depth discussions in each of these areas, the group agreed that the four organizations will vigorously move forward to construct a formal structure for collaboration leading to unity within the addictions profession.

Said both Mary Woods, RNC, LADC, MSHS, President of NAADAC and Jim Scarborough, M.Div., President of both ICRC and S.CAP:

"Foremost among our recommendations is that the members of our respective organizations embrace the collaborative spirit that is evidenced by the results of our discussions. As we stated before our meetings last weekend: ?Challenging times often call for bold action. Today the addictions profession is confronting multiple challenges that must be addressed through a marshaling of resources and a truly unified effort. We now have an historic opportunity to join together in more effective ways to address the needs of our profession'."

"In our meeting last weekend we faced the challenges that lie ahead for our profession and for our organizations. If we do not chart our destiny, it will be charted for us. We must be unified in our efforts so that we are prepared to best serve professionals in a rapidly changing environment. The process of defining a new collaborative structure will be difficult, but it is imperative that we do so to achieve our ultimate goal of serving our clients by advancing the profession."

The group, in a series of unanimous votes, adopted the following to describe their collaboration as they move forward:

Vision
United in voice and action to advance the addiction profession for the welfare of individuals and families, the workforce and the larger community.

Mission
We will respect and support each other's mission with a commitment to our mutual vision.

At the conclusion of the meeting three joint workgroups of the larger group were established to develop models for 1) collaboration and funding; 2) certification; and 3) education, training, public policy and public relations. These workgroups will be establishing goals, objectives and timelines for their activities. Each workgroup will seek input from ICRC member boards and the NAADAC membership as they proceed.

"We are looking forward to an open, informed and vigorous dialogue on these issues with our members as well as our public and private sector partners," said both Scarborough and Woods, "and we are looking forward to shaping our future together as we all confront the challenges and historic opportunities our profession faces."