Column by Ebony Clarke, Behavioral Health Director, OHA

At Oregon Health Authority (OHA), we recognize that recovery is not just an individual journey—it is a community commitment. Recovery means hope. It means the opportunity to rebuild, reconnect, and reclaim one’s life with dignity and support. As we reflect during Recovery Month, we reaffirm our belief that recovery is possible for everyone, and that it thrives in environments where people are seen, heard, and supported.

We recognize that we must center peer support, foster connection, and value lived experience. In Oregon, we frequently engage lived experience through peer support, leadership and services. Through peer support services, peers –  individuals in recovery with lived and living experience with substance use disorder (SUD) and/or mental health diagnoses – help individuals navigate the behavioral health system, provide emotional support to others struggling with SUD or their mental health, and advise on behavioral health policy.

Peer support is not just a service—it’s a lifeline. Those with lived experience in recovery bring critical insight and empathy that can’t be taught in a classroom or read in a book. They have a significant impact on others’ ability to navigate resources and enter and stay in treatment. They walk alongside others, offering understanding, guidance, accountability, and the powerful reminder: “You’re not alone.”

Ongoing opportunity to connect with others in recovery also helps people to sustain their recovery. Whether through culturally-specific organizations, recovery community centers, or local initiatives, a sense of belonging helps people to maintain their recovery. Our role at OHA is to invest in these spaces and ensure we include the peer community and of those doing the work on the ground in the development of policies, training and services. Recovery cannot thrive in isolation. Recovery grows through community.

We also believe in the power of a system approach where state agencies, providers, peer organizations, and community leaders align around a shared vision. We know that no single agency or person holds all the answers. That’s why we aim to foster systems built on collaboration, trust, and shared responsibility.

As we look forward, OHA remains dedicated to building a behavioral health system that centers lived experience, people, relationships, and equity. Let’s continue to champion peer voices, deepen our connections, and grow a continuum of care that makes recovery not only possible, but sustainable for every Oregonian.