Moving Towards Societal Recovery
Thomas Bannard |
TEDxYouth@RVA
• November 2017
What would our country look like if we treated all people who struggle with substance abuse with dignity and respect? Tom Bannard shares his journey in recovery and challenges us to reconsider the War on Drugs, with individual, family and societal recovery.
Tom Bannard, CADC, MBA, is the Program Coordinator for Rams in Recovery at Virginia Commonwealth University. Tom is a Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor and has spent most of his career working in homeless services at CARITAS. A person in long-term recovery, Tom is an advocate for people in recovery or who are struggling with a substance use disorder. Tom has played a key role in the growth of Collegiate Recovery at VCU spending his first 2 ½ years as a volunteer on the project team until he was hired in October 2015 as the program’s first coordinator. VCU’s program has grown rapidly in the past 18 months with more than 60 students attending meetings on weekly basis, and 14 weekly recovery groups on campus, recovery housing & coursework and 2 Family Education Programs. Tom is passionate about changing the way we treat substance use and firmly believes that we must improve our systems of care by focusing on long-term recovery supports, allowing easier access to treatment and recovery resources, educating and supporting family members, and reducing stigma around substance misuse.