DDPHE Blog: Global Peer Support Day

DDPHE Blog: Global Peer Support Day

Published on September 19, 2024

Celebrating 10 Years of Global Peer Support: Honoring the Unsung Heroes of Recovery

October 17, 2024, will mark the 10th Annual Global Peer Support Celebration Day (GPSCD). This milestone offers a moment to honor the dedication, resilience, and transformative work of Peer Supporters around the world. Born from the 2014 International Association of Peer Supporters (iNAPS) conference and uplifted by the Department of Veteran's Affairs Healthcare Administration, GPSCD highlights the vital role that Peer Supporters play in recovery communities and the healthcare industry. Every year, on the third Thursday in October, the world unites to celebrate their profound impact.

Peer Supporters are individuals who have lived through their own experiences with mental health or substance misuse challenges. They emerge as role models and champions of recovery, using their journeys to inspire hope, ignite change, and demonstrate human resilience. Through mutuality, empathy, and respect, they play a crucial role in guiding others toward recovery, offering a unique blend of lived experience and professional training.

The Purpose of GPSCD

GPSCD serves two key purposes, as defined by the International Association of Peer Supporters

1. For Peers to recognize and reflect on their contributions and celebrate successes.
2. For the public, elected officials, and others to recognize and honor Peer Supporters at national, state, and local levels, within organizations that employ them, and throughout mental health and substance use recovery communities.

The Role of Peer Support Specialists

A Peer Support Specialist is someone who has personally navigated significant life disruptions due to substance misuse or mental health challenges. Equipped with formal training and personal experience, they empower others on their recovery journey, demonstrating that recovery is not only possible but attainable.

In 2007, Peer Support services were recognized as an evidence-based practice by the Health and Human Services Commission, due to their proven ability to improve patient outcomes and overall satisfaction. Today, Peer Support is growing nationwide and has found deep roots in communities like Denver, where 18 Peer Support Specialists advocate for recovery values throughout the city.

Peer Support in Denver: Walking with the Community

Denver's Peer Support Specialists are intimately familiar with the challenges facing the city's most vulnerable populations. Substance misuse, mental health struggles, and justice system involvement often compound difficulties in people's lives. Peer Support Specialists are there to walk alongside individuals, offering more than just resources-they offer hope, connection, and the unwavering message: "If I can do it, so can you."

These dedicated specialists can be found where they are needed most in Denver including at the Public Library, the Office of the Municipal Public Defender, Denver County Courts, the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE), and Denver Human Services offices. Their work is guided by lived experience and follows the values and ethics created in partnership with SAMHSA and the National Association of Peer Supporters.

Why Peer Support Matters

Peer Support has long been under-recognized, under-funded, and underutilized, despite being an evidence-based practice with far-reaching benefits. Research shows that Peer Support:

• Increases hope and inspiration
• Enhances engagement in self-care and wellness
• Improves social support and functioning
• Reduces psychotic symptoms, substance use, and depression
• Lowers the overall cost of services

Peer Support Specialists are much more than service providers-they are agents of change, healing communities from within. Their contributions to the recovery movement cannot be overstated, and GPSCD provides the perfect opportunity to recognize their indispensable role.

Join the Celebration

As we approach the 10th Annual Global Peer Support Celebration Day, let us all take a moment to reflect on the critical work Peer Supporters do. Whether you're a part of the behavioral health community, a policymaker, or simply someone who believes in the power of recovery, this is your chance to celebrate those who inspire hope and change lives.

Let's honor the past decade of incredible progress while looking forward to a future where Peer Support is universally recognized, funded, and celebrated.

The Global Peer Support Celebration in Denver will kick off on Monday October 14, 2024, with a proclamation reading at the City Council session beginning at 3:30 p.m., sponsored by Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez.

DDPHE will host a city-wide celebration on October 17, 2024, at the McNichols Civic Center Building, to recognize the work of Peer Supporters serving the City and County of Denver. The GPSCD celebration will include a proclamation reading, and a luncheon, and an award ceremony for Peer Supporters. Guests will include Peer Supporters and supervisors working across city agencies, Peer Support stakeholders who have moved the service forward, as well as other city officials.

Tagged as:

• Public Health & Environment