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More than 80 social service providers, medical professionals, law enforcement and correction officers, nonprofit organization representatives and others interested in understanding and combatting substance use disorder came together in Oacoma for START-SD-Impact's Empowering Recovery event on Aug. 28.

Breaking the cycle

Empowering Recovery was hosted by �ձ�av��Ƶ's START-SD-Impact, which is the current project of START-SD (Stigma, Treatment, Avoidance and Recovery in Time for South Dakota). START-SD-Impact specifically focuses on “providing support for individuals transitioning out of South Dakota prison systems and their loved ones through peer support programs, workforce development and substance use disorder treatment, prevention and recovery.”

Funded by a $3 million federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, START-SD-Impact is a four-year program that works to “break the cycle” for incarcerated individuals with substance use disorder as they move out of incarceration into recovery and reentry.

“Our primary target is working within rural prison systems to reduce recidivism. There are high rates of diagnosis of substance use disorder among individuals entering prison,” said Erin Miller, Gail M. Gullickson Endowed Assistant Professor, director of the Community Practice Innovation Center and project director for START-SD-Impact.

Patricia Ahmed, START-SD-Impact project co-director, noted that in 2023 in South Dakota, more than 95% of all inmates were diagnosed with substance use disorder at intake. Substance use is highly correlated with first-time offending and reoffending rates, Ahmed said.

“We want to work with our partners to provide these individuals with tools and support as they are preparing for release and after release to help them avoid reentering the system,” Miller said.

START-SD-Impact also marks an opportunity to accelerate progress in supporting individuals with substance use disorders as they leave incarceration by leveraging new partnerships and collaborations. 

“We had not previously had an opportunity to work with the South Dakota Department of Corrections,” Miller said. “Working with them will be really impactful in breaking the cycle.” Additional critical partners in the work include , and .

According to Ahmed, the focus of the South Dakota Department of Corrections on expanding treatment options for those incarcerated is already showing positive impact, which are only bolstered by the START-SD-Impact collaborative partnerships. “Now, there is more access to medication-assisted treatment in all three rural prisons as well as expanded support for counseling and reentry education as well as peer recovery support inside the correctional institutions as well as outside,” Ahmed said.

Not just another training

The learning workshop was not just another training. Event coordinators specifically designed the workshop to be interactive and guided by the lived experiences of individuals with substance use disorder as well as those working to provide support to those in recovery.

Outcomes data collected for past workshops offered by START-SD have shown that more interactive, experience-grounded opportunities are more effective in improving participants’ understanding of how individuals develop substance abuse disorders as well as how to support them through recovery, especially those who have been incarcerated.

“We’ve done a variety of other workshops through other grants, and one of the most impactful sessions is a peer recovery story component where individuals recovering from substance use disorder can tell their story,” Miller said.

“Ultimately, educational opportunities like Empowering Recovery are designed to help attendees, many of whom work in areas that engage with individuals with substance use disorders, truly understand how addiction happens and what works — and doesn’t work — to facilitate recovery. This can lead to improved treatment outcomes for individuals affected by substance use disorder,” she said.

Other ways attendees gained a better understanding of substance use disorder included active learning opportunities, such as reentry simulations and medication-assisted treatment case studies. Medication-assisted treatment case studies explore how medication, combined with other supportive services, can lead to improved outcomes for individuals recovering from substance use disorder.

Simulations, on the other hand, put attendees directly in the shoes of someone with substance use disorder who is being released from incarceration.

Irene Arango Gomez, community care coordinator for the Community Practice Innovation Center, said the simulations help make concrete the different barriers that individuals with substance use disorder face when they are released.

“You are given an envelope with a persona inside, and then you come back into the room as, for example, Ben, who is just being released from prison, and you have to figure out transportation with no vehicle or license, where to do a urine test, find a job, find an apartment — all of those things you need to navigate in order to successfully reenter. You learn firsthand how challenging it is to overcome all the barriers,” she said. The reentry simulations are guided by the work of the South Dakota Department of Corrections SAFER SD Reentry program.

In addition to learning from individuals with substance use disorders, a key component of the Empowering Recovery event was providing opportunities for professionals to collaborate and connect.

“Networking is really important. Many people doing this work are in small nonprofits and often do this work in isolation. Workshops like Empowering Recovery help build better webs of support, especially in rural communities,” Arango Gomez said. “Professionals may feel unseen or unheard. This workshop helps people connect with each other and learn how we can support each other.”

Attendees also were provided with free harm reduction resources such as naloxone and fentanyl testing strips.

Workshop participants were also able to hear from a law enforcement officer who explained how his understanding of working with individuals with substance use disorder has evolved, Ahmed said.

Investigator Donnie Varnell of the Dare County, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Office gave a keynote address where he talked about his work to actively educate law enforcement agents and policy makers about how to enact harm-reduction programs such as prearrest diversion programs.

According to Ahmed, Varnell’s perspective is important to share because it helps to change the perspective that substance use disorder is a moral failure that can be ended through arrest. Rather, Varnell can share with other law enforcement officers that substance use disorder is a disease that requires a different approach.

Next steps

START-SD-Impact is in the second year of its four-year grant cycle. “Currently, we are deepening our focus on our partners as we identify and implement the support and services our partner organizations need to continue to be successful,” Arango Gomez said.

Research associated with the project will also continue. Specifically, Ahmed will explore the impact of internal and external stigma on substance use disorders and how to overcome it. “We will continue our research into self-stigma and public stigma,” Ahmed said. “Stigma is a major barrier to help seeking and recovery for people with substance use disorder, and if we can learn more about that mechanism, we can bring additional resources and programs to help support them,” she said.

August’s event was the second Empowering Recovery event held in 2025; the first was held in spring in Sioux Falls. According to Miller, each event hosted approximately 60% more attendees than expected. The START-SD-Impact team expects to host additional events in the future. Details will be available on the project’s and on the .