Coreen Braden’s career journey with Young People in Recovery (YPR) began with a small, 15-hour-a-week program assistant position in 2017. “I’m a person in recovery myself,” Braden says, explaining why she felt pulled to join the organization. “I have lived experience, and I really liked the idea of YPR’s mission and vision, which is to provide free recovery support services and peer-to-peer interaction with people.”
YPR is a national nonprofit that was formed in 2010 in Colorado and has since spread to 15 other states. The organization provides support services for youth and young adults seeking recovery from substance use disorder. In-person recovery meetings at one of YPR’s eight Colorado chapters (some of which are Spanish-speaking) are always an option, plus virtual meetings like Rainbow Recovery, a monthly meeting for LGBTQ individuals.
The folks working at YPR are gearing up for a busy season. Preparation for International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) on August 31, followed by Recovery Month in September, is in full swing. Braden, who is now RSS Program Assistant and Arapahoe County chapter lead, has big plans for her chapter. Over the next few days, she will be collaborating with the Arapahoe Health Department, the Naloxone Project, and Rocky Vista University to spread opioid overdose and Narcan education resources to pre-med students and the community.
Much of her work is centered around Narcan education, a key ingredient she believes is overlooked in the medical community. She strives to educate pre-med students about substance use disorder and “the reason why we feel it’s important to recognize substance use disorder in the medical profession and really try to break down those stigmas and provide a safe place for people to detox,” she says, explaining her harm reduction strategy.
Narcan, also known as naloxone, is an over-the-counter medicine used to treat opioid overdoses, and Braden believes that everyone should carry it. “By promoting Narcan awareness, we empower individuals to take proactive measures and be prepared to respond effectively to overdose situations,” she says. “Our goal is to save lives and foster a supportive environment that enables sustainable recovery.”
Over the last year, Braden has distributed almost 2,500 boxes of Narcan to the general community. Her YPR chapter had a booth at Aurora Pride, where they distributed fentanyl testing strips and 1,200 boxes of Narcan in a single day. But that’s not enough for Braden, who’s determined to get the life-saving nasal spray (and accompanying overdose education) into the Arapahoe County and Cherry Creek school districts, where she hopes focusing on school-age children will be the key to early prevention.
“I hear so often that people are getting turned away when they go to the ER to try to find some assistance or detox. I think that is because of the stigma,” she says. “Oftentimes people will go multiple times throughout the week, and they’re getting turned away. So I really want to focus at the source, and I believe that is pre-med and pre-pharmacist (students). So you’re looking to really change the attitude around overdose and Narcan within that medical community (by) going back to the very root of the issue.”
Photo courtesy of Young People in Recovery
