BISMARCK — First Lady Kathryn Burgum has been the face of the Office of Recovery Reinvented, focused on ending the stigma surrounding substance abuse. Now, as Gov. Doug Burgum finishes his final term, she’s advocating for those efforts to continue.

On Wednesday, Burgums will host its eighth annual Recovery Reinvented event. Kathryn Burgum said the event in Bismarck will likely be the last of its kind that she and her husband host, but she plans to continue working to reduce the misconceptions surrounding addiction after Gov. Burgum leaves office.

“If one life could be saved and more people start talking about it, it will be worth it,” she said. “And it’s been so worth it.”

Governor Burgum established the Office of Recovery Reinvented through an executive order in 2018 to “promote strategic and innovative efforts to eliminate the shame and stigma associated with the disease of addiction.” Funding comes from private donations and a partnership with the Dakota Medical Foundation. The office is overseen by an advisory board with members appointed by Governor Burgum and chaired by Kathryn Burgum.

In an interview with the North Dakota Monitor, Kathryn Burgum said she doesn’t know if North Dakota’s governor-elect will continue the initiative, but she is confident substance abuse will continue to be addressed in some form in any new administration.

She added that she has a meeting with Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Armstrong in the coming days and she plans to advocate to leave the office in place if he is elected.

The first lady, who shares her personal story of being in long-term recovery, said she is pleased with the positive impact the office has made. She cited the office’s 2021 statewide survey that found 75% of respondents believe addiction is a disease, up 12% from when the office first asked the question in 2018.

Jonathan Holth, executive director of the Office of Recovery Reinvented, said increasing the rate is important because more resources can be made available.

“We know that people treat this differently when they think it’s a disease,” he said. “Doing that opens up different doors. It opens up funding. It opens up how people view the treatment process.”

Holth said while the future of the office is uncertain, he is confident they have built a strong foundation to reduce the stigma associated with addiction that should make it easier for other groups to continue the office’s work.

Holth said he has been in recovery for more than 16 years, but hadn’t gone public with his personal recovery journey until he was inspired by Burgum after she publicly acknowledged her struggles with addiction.

“I thought to myself, ‘If the first lady can talk about this, so can I,'” Holth said. “The destigmatization work that we’ve done is really grounded and grounded in giving people licenses and giving people permission to come forward and say, ‘I’m not well and I need help,’ and for communities to wrap their arms around these people without them feel ashamed.”

Contributed / Office of the North Dakota Governor

Kurt Snyder, executive director of the Heartview Foundation, a recovery organization that offers inpatient and outpatient services, credited Recovery Reinvented with helping to reduce stigma. Snyder said that when he started working with the foundation about 20 years ago, he would have to explain to groups about the misconceptions about recovery before he could address deeper addiction problems.

“I don’t have to do that anymore,” he said.

Snyder said the annual events have reached people who would never have been exposed to the impact of addiction in North Dakota. He also praised the pair for recognizing the achievements of recovery specialists in the state, who he said can go under the radar.

Burgum highlighted the work that peer support specialists do in the state. Because of the rural nature of North Dakota, she said peer support specialists are necessary to create a supportive person-to-person network as a path to recovery.

Burgum added that many in recovery have drug convictions on their records, which can make it difficult to find a job. Peer Support Specialists give these people a chance to continue talking about recovery and potentially help others on the same path.

Snyder said he admires the courage of the first lady for diving headfirst into a difficult issue and using it to improve the state.

“She did it with grace. She did it with humility,” he said. “And you have the governor as her No. 1 fan. Wonderfully.”

Holth also said that telling personal stories about addiction can be difficult, but it’s important to connect with others who are struggling because you never know when a breakthrough might happen to someone who wants to seek treatment.

“It takes a strong person to share their story of addiction and recovery once,” he said. “It takes one of the strongest people I’ve ever met in my life to do that over and over again for eight years straight, in every place and around the country, and in every corner of the state.”

This story was originally published on NorthDakotaMonitor.com