Early projection from Faces & Voices director: Policy over process

I gained some additional insight on Friday's announcement of Patty McCarthy Metcalf's hiring as executive director of Faces & Voices of Recovery during an end-of-week conversation with the newly appointed director:

• Metcalf will officially start at Faces & Voices on Dec. 29, and the six-year Faces & Voices board member predicts a swift transition. “It's going to be a great 2015,” she says.

• Her most recent post, managing a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)-funded technical assistance center, has kept Metcalf in close touch with state agency directors, service providers, and recovery community leaders seeking to bolster recovery-oriented systems of care.

• Her early work at the helm of Faces & Voices will emphasize substance over structure, and for now that will appear to leave the outcome of merger talks with Young People in Recovery on the back burner. “Our discussions have uncovered common areas and differences. We are taking this very seriously and carefully,” Metcalf says. “It's an area we want to set aside right now.”

• She says a high priority will be placed on public policy and efforts to remove barriers to treatment and recovery. Recovery community leaders are receiving the clear message that they need to be fully engaged on the proposed Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act (CARA) in Congress, which would call for an array of services to combat the opioid addiction crisis.

• Metcalf is clearly proud that her hiring signifies a prominent national advocacy role for a person in long-term recovery with a background in community mobilization. “Having that authentic voice is critical right now,” says the former director of Friends of Recovery Vermont.