“Collective care” is more than a slogan. It’s how this work actually gets done. Join @TarzanaTC this Friday, 10/16, at CSUN for the Latinx Mental Health Conference. 5 CE credits, and you can register at the door.

“Without meaningful participation by those most affected, the best-intended policies risk falling short.” ~ Robb Layne, CAADPE Executive Director That’s the idea behind SUD Voices for Change (@SUDVoices), a new statewide nonprofit led by Californians with lived experience of substance use and recovery. It was developed with DHCS, LA County SAPC, and CAADPE, and it’s now taking applications for its first Consumer Advisory Group. Recovery-first policy starts with the people in recovery. Read the full release: sudvoices.org/news/sud-voice…

CAADPE Executive Director Robb Layne spoke with @BeckersASC about one of the biggest barriers to expanding addiction treatment in California: local opposition. California has invested billions in new behavioral health capacity. But when substance use disorder treatment projects reach city council agendas, too many are stalled by “not in my backyard” opposition. As Robb points out, nobody fights a dialysis clinic over parking or property values. Substance use disorder is a diagnosable, treatable medical condition, and blocking care for discriminatory reasons can violate the ADA, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and California state law. When a facility doesn’t open, people still need treatment. They end up leaving their communities or cycling through emergency departments. “The punishment for drug use should not be death.” Read the full article: lnkd.in/gxfDpctt hashtag#SUDTreatment hashtag#BehavioralHealth hashtag#Recovery hashtag#EndStigma hashtag#California

Too many decisions about substance use get made without the people living it. This November, @SUDVoices is bringing three town halls to California. Come say what is working, what is not, and what needs to change. If you use substances, are in recovery, care for someone who is, or your community has been touched by any of it, this is your room. Thursday, Nov 12 · Indio Friday, Nov 13 · San Francisco Thursday, Nov 19 · Online Breakfast and lunch provided. One focus group runs in Spanish. Everyone who takes part receives a gift card for their time. Space is limited. Register Here: lnkd.in/geg938cc Be a Voice for Change. hashtag#SUDVoices hashtag#BeAVoiceForChange hashtag#LivedExperience hashtag#Recovery hashtag#SubstanceUseDisorder hashtag#California

🎧 In Case You Missed It CAADPE Executive Director Robb Layne joined Destination Change for Episode 41 to talk about the role of lived experience in SUD policy advocacy. Robb shares his perspective on advocating for California's substance use disorder treatment field, integrating behavioral health services, and the importance of community-based treatment. Listen now: zencastr.com/z/vmN9IvpP Thank you for having Robb on and for creating space for these conversations. #SUD #Recovery #BehavioralHealth #LivedExperience #CAADPE

Your voice belongs in the room where decisions get made. 💜 SUD Voices for Change is recruiting for our Consumer Advisory Group: people in recovery, people who currently use substances, families, peer support workers, harm reduction advocates, and communities affected by SUD. Monthly virtual meetings, real influence on our priorities, and chances to advocate at the State Capitol. Apply at sudvoices.org/get-involved/l… or email [email protected] #SUDVoicesForChange #LivedExperience #RecoveryAdvocacy #HarmReduction #California

Most workplaces already have someone trained for emergencies. Most schools have an adult who's first on the scene when something goes wrong. The question we kept asking: are those people ready for an overdose? With two CAADPE-sponsored bills now signed by Governor @GavinNewsom , California's answer is yes. In this video, our Executive Director Robb Layne walks through what AB 2150 and AB 1586 mean for workers, students, and the people standing nearby when minutes matter. Grateful to Assemblymembers @MattHaneySF and @AsmJamesRamos, the American Red Cross, and every partner who helped get these across the finish line. #OverdosePrevention #PublicHealth #BehavioralHealth #CaliforniaPolicy

When people in recovery share their stories with employers, faith communities, policymakers, and neighbors, they help build recovery-ready communities for everyone. Share yours with @SUDVoices: sudvoices.org/share-story/ #RecoveryIsREAL

California's SUD treatment workforce carries a lot. On October 28, CAADPE and SUD Voices for Change are giving them a day built for their growth. Four courses at CRI-Help in North Hollywood, 9am to 3pm: Counselor credentialing and the lived path to certification Culturally responsive care and treatment in a client's primary language MAT access from the clinic to the community Moral distress and moral injury in a sustainable workforce 4 CEUs approved through CAADE, CCAPP, and CADTP. Lunch and coffee included. Register today: caadpe.org/event/continuing-…

Celebrating recovery out loud is a powerful way to reduce stigma. This Recovery Month, let's honor milestones reached, relationships rebuilt, and lives transformed. Stigma does not just live in conversations. It shows up in policy, in funding decisions, and in who gets told no when they ask for help. CAADPE stands with the 750+ community-based provider sites working to change that. #RecoveryMonth2026 #CAADPE #EndTheStigma

Recruitment is open for the @SUDVoices. The Consumer Advisory Group is made up of Californians with lived experience of substance use who advise SUD Voices for Change directly. Members meet monthly, help set advocacy priorities, review materials before they go out, and participate in advocacy at the State Capitol. Providers: this is a concrete way to open a leadership pathway for the people you serve. If someone in your program has been asking how to turn their experience into policy change, send them this. Learn more and apply: sudvoices.org/get-involved/l…

CAADPE is hiring a Membership and External Relations Coordinator. We have members in every single county in California and represent over 750 treatment sites. We are nowhere near done growing. Substance use disorder treatment is in the middle of a historic transformation. New funding. New policy. New infrastructure being built from the ground up. This is the moment to join, not after the growth happens, but right now while it's being built. This role helps providers of every size, small, medium, and large, find their peers, get the support they need to scale their programs, and build stronger organizations. That's the work, and it matters because our field is stronger together. We're looking for someone excited about what we're building and ready to hit the ground running. A criminal history does not disqualify you. Lived experience is valued. Compensation: $52,000 to $64,000 annually, plus a performance based incentive bonus. Full job description and how to apply: lnkd.in/gqB3sWr5

You may not always know what someone is experiencing. Substance use and suicide risk are closely linked, and the people our members serve are often carrying both. A check-in, a listening ear, a number shared at the right moment, can make a real difference. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988. #SuicidePrevention starts with connection. For people living with a substance use disorder, that connection can be lifesaving. samhsa.gov/about/digital-too… #SPM2026 #SuicidePrevention #SUDTreatment #Recovery

September is National Recovery Month, and we've added a purple ribbon to our logo to mark it. Across all 58 counties, CAADPE organizations show up every day for Californians seeking treatment and recovery from substance use disorders. This month we celebrate the people doing that work, and the millions of Californians living proof that recovery is real and possible. Recovery happens in communities. We're proud to stand with the providers who make it happen. #RecoveryMonth #RecoveryIsPossible #CAADPE #SUDTreatment

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. It's a day to remember everyone we've lost, to stand with the families still carrying that grief, and to recommit to the work of keeping people alive and getting them into care. CAADPE represents more than 400 community-based treatment provider sites across every county in California. These are the organizations on the front lines, opening the door for people who need it most. Behind every overdose is a person with a name. Behind every person in recovery is a provider who believed in them. Share this video. Learn about the providers in your community. And if you or someone you love is struggling, help is available and recovery is real. We remember everyone we've lost. And we keep fighting. #InternationalOverdoseAwarenessDay #IOAD2026 #OverdoseAwareness #SubstanceUseDisorder #Recovery #SUD #CAADPE

Good times at the DHCS Conference! It was great for CAADPE staff to connect with Thomas Hyatt, Community Outreach Manager at @fredbrownrs. Moments like these are a reminder of what makes this work so meaningful. The relationships we build outside the conference room are just as important as the conversations happening inside it. When providers, advocates, and associations come together, the whole field is stronger for it. Here's to good people doing important work. #DHCS20YearsSUDConf #DHCS2026SUDConf #CAADPE #DHCS #SUDTreatment #SubstanceUseDisorder #RecoveryWorks #TreatmentWorks #CaliforniaRecovery #BehavioralHealth #CommunityBasedCare #Advocacy #CaliforniaSUD #FredBrown

On the last day of the @DHCS_CA Substance Use Disorder Integrated Care Conference, two incredible CAADPE members took the panel stage! Vitka Eisen, CEO of @HealthRIGHT360 , and Brandon Fernandez, CEO of @CriHelpInc , joined Brian Hurley, MD, Interim Director of LA County Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, for a session on "Aligning Services with Readiness for Non-Abstinent Clients." Meeting people where they are is not just a phrase. It's a practice. Proud to see our members modeling it at the highest level. #DHCS20YearsSUDConf #DHCS2026SUDConf #CAADPE #SUD #SubstanceUseDisorder #IntegratedCare #HarmReduction #CaliforniaSUD #DHCS #CRIHelp #HealthRIGHT360 #TreatmentWorks

Our Executive Director Robb Layne was on the stage today at the 2026 DHCS SUD Integrated Care Conference, presenting alongside Dr. Gary Tsai of Telecare Corporation and peer advocate Krystle Boyd on SUD Voices for Change -- California's first statewide lived-experience advocacy platform for SUD systems change. As California's behavioral health system undergoes its biggest transformation in a generation, this work matters. Proud to be helping build it. #DHCS20YearsSUDConf #DHCS2026SUDConf #SUDVoicesForChange #SUDTreatment #BehavioralHealth #CAADPE

CAADPE member @HealthRIGHT360 is on the stage today -- and they came ready. President and CEO Vitka Eisen (also a CAADPE Board Vice President), Managing Director of Residential and Treatment Access MaryAnn Swift, and Deputy Chief Behavioral Health Officer April Torres are presenting "Opening the Door Wider: Rethinking Substance Use Disorder Access and Retention." Low-barrier access. Continuity through stabilization. Retention after recurrence of use. The shirt says it plainly. The work says it louder. #DHCS20YearsSUDConf #DHCS2026SUDConf #SUDTreatment #BehavioralHealth #CAADPE #HealthRIGHT360

CAADPE member @aadapinc is on the stage today at the 2026 @DHCS_CA SUD Integrated Care Conference, tackling one of the most overlooked disparities in our field. Their session, "Breaking the Model Minority Myth: Culturally Responsive Care for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities," challenges the assumptions that have long masked the behavioral health needs of a rapidly growing and critically underserved population. CEO Sam Joo and colleagues Lauren Lee, Nancy Sekizawa, and Warren Yamashita, MD are sharing what culturally concordant care actually looks like in practice -- and why it matters for the whole system. Founded in 1972 in response to a Japanese American overdose epidemic, AADAP has been building this blueprint for more than 50 years. Proud to have them in our network. #DHCS20YearsSUDConf #DHCS2026SUDConf #SUDTreatment #BehavioralHealth #CAADPE #CulturallyResponsiveCare