ATLANTA — A new regional effort is bringing together addiction recovery advocates from across the Southeast to push for stronger public policy supporting those in recovery.

The Southeast Addiction Recovery Coalition includes advocacy groups from 12 states, including Georgia. The coalition aims to present a unified voice in addressing substance abuse issues and promoting recovery-focused legislation.

Laurisa Barthen, executive director of the Georgia Council for Recovery, says the collaboration is about sharing accurate information with lawmakers.

“As a unit sharing information, sharing data, sharing research, and sharing that information with legislators, then we know that they’re getting accurate information about our specific topic, and then they can make informed decisions based on that,” Barthen said.

She describes the coalition as a “game changer” for advocacy work in the region. “It’s all of us coming together, rural, urban and deciding what it is as a group that we want to educate on,” she explained.

Barthen says the coalition’s priorities include Medicaid expansion and criminal justice reform, while also strengthening communication with federal lawmakers.

“Building relationships and sharing similar messages with all of our different legislators at a federal level, we’re hoping that we can provide some education that would encourage them to support more recovery-friendly policy,” she said.

WSB’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story