Farrell White is a peer recovery specialist at Durango Integrated Healthcare. Her position originated from the State Opioid and Stimulant Response or SOR Grant. Her role primarily consists of providing education and resources regarding Naloxone (aka Narcan or Kloxxado) and supporting those who are currently in recovery from opioid or stimulant addictions. She often works closely with Axis’ Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment Program (IDDT), Jail-based Behavioral Health, and Jail Transition programs. The IDDT model is an evidence-based practice endorsed by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. IDDT is designed for people who have been diagnosed with a severe mental illness and a co-occurring substance use disorder.
Farrell has been in sustained recovery from opioids for nine years and celebrated her recovery anniversary on August 15th. She spent over 11 years in the restaurant industry and witnessed many facets of substance use in the restaurant industry. She chose to make a career change to contribute to the solution instead of the problem.
Her biggest goal for 2025 is to have naloxone available in virtually every business in Durango. She said, “I want to cultivate the sort of culture that makes the community feel secure in knowing that no matter WHERE you are in town, if you need assistance in obtaining naloxone to help someone who is overdosing, you know that you can walk into any business in town and receive naloxone to help anyone who may need it.”
Farrell is an active member of the Beyond Labels initiative, a collaboration of community partners working to combat the stigma faced by many people in recovery. She participates in the quarterly Fentanyl Stakeholders meeting, which focuses on the problems and solutions identified across the State of Colorado.
Farrell is currently working on an event for Overdose Awareness Day on August 31, 2024, at the Durango Farmers Market from 8am-12pm. A memorial wall will feature photos of those we have lost to overdoses in addition to resources and visual representations of some striking statistics related to the cause. There is a link below to submit photos of your lost loved ones. She’s also collaborating with Southwest Paintball for people in recovery to participate in a day of paintball to explore a new hobby and team-build. Finding new hobbies is a hugely protective factor in early recovery.
Farrell is eager to collaborate with team members and the community so encourages anyone to reach out anytime.
If you’d like to share a photo for the Wall of Remembrance, use this link: Wall of Remembrance Photo Submission (smartsheet.com)
To sign up for Recovery Paintball, click here: Recovery Paintball presented by Southwest Paintball Sept 27th (smartsheet.com)