MARS™ Project Director Receives CCAR’s Bob Savage Recovery Advocate of the Year Award: Walter Ginter Recognized as Outspoken Medication-Assisted Recovery Advocate
New York, New York (PRWEB) February 12, 2014 -- Medication-Assisted Recovery Services (MARS™), part of a leading national nonprofit organization that provides peer support services and training to address the needs of the medication-assisted recovery community, announced its Project Director, Walter Ginter, has received the prestigious Bob Savage Recovery Advocate of the Year Award from the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR). On behalf of the CCAR Board of Directors, John Hamilton, CEO of Recovery Network of Programs, presented this year’s award to Mr. Ginter at CCAR’s 2014 Annual Meeting on January 22, 2014. Mr. Hamilton is also a nationally recognized leader in medication-assisted treatment and recovery.
Mr. Ginter, who has been in medication-assisted recovery for many years and has been part of a movement to help overcome the barriers and stigma that can fight against recovery efforts, remarked during his acceptance speech, "Winning this award in my home state of Connecticut means a lot to me.” Ginter continued, “It also says a lot about the organization who gives it. For CCAR to recognize me, a medication-assisted recovery advocate, is extraordinary." In addition to receiving the Bob Savage Recovery Advocate of the Year award, Mr. Ginter has earned the prestigious Richard Lane and Robert Holden Methadone Patient Advocacy Award in 2006 from his fellow advocates, and an America Honors Recovery – Vernon Johnson Award in 2012. He was also recently invited to participate in one of three expert panels at the ONDCP Drug Policy Reform Conference at the White House on December 9, 2013, and has testified at the Connecticut legislature on behalf of methadone treatment and as a patient.
CCAR’s Bob Savage Recovery Advocate of the Year Award is named for Mr. Savage, who founded CCAR in 1998 and is regarded as a national pioneer in establishing recovery community organizations. It honors his courage to speak frequently, energetically and effectively on behalf of people in recovery, their family members, friends and allies. The winner of the award must be a Connecticut resident; outspoken on issues of importance to people in recovery, their family members, friends and allies, and have demonstrated excellence in recovery advocacy. Mr. Savage attended and spoke at this ceremony.
ABOUT MEDICATION-ASSISTED RECOVERY SERVICES (MARS™)
Medication-Assisted Recovery Services(MARS™) is a peer-initiated recovery support project, sponsored by the National Alliance of Medication-Assisted (NAMA) Recovery, which improves treatment outcomes and fights the stigma that can negatively impact sustained recovery efforts. In collaboration with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the original MARS™ Community was launched in 2006 with funding from a SAMHSA Recovery Community Services Program RCSP) grant.
In 2012, the Beyond MARS™ Training Institute was formed to replicate this model and implement MARS™ “satellite” programs across the United States. The growing MARS™ Community currently includes ten programs. MARS™ offers a wide range of training and technical assistance services. To learn more about Medication-Assisted Recovery Services, visit http://www.MarsProject.org or https://www.facebook.com/beyondmars.
Walter Ginter, +1 2032338266, [email protected]
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