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New Study: Greater Recovery Benefits for Alcohol Use Disorder From Attending Mutual-Help Groups In Person Vs. Online

New research from PHI’s Alcohol Research Group (ARG) finds that people with alcohol use disorders experience significantly better recovery outcomes when attending mutual-help group meetings in person rather than only online. The study, published last month in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, analyzed survey data from over 1,100 U.S. adults attending 12-step groups similar to AA, including SMART Recovery, LifeRing Secular Recovery and Women for Sobriety. Participants who attended meetings only online were about half as likely to report alcohol abstinence and almost three times as likely to report alcohol problems at the six-month follow-up when compared to participants who attended meetings only in person. "The benefits of mutual-help group participation seem to come largely from social engagement with other attendees," said Sarah Zemore, PhD, senior scientist with PHI's ARG and lead study author. "We found that online meeting attendance is less likely to lead to these kinds of social activities, and this negatively affects outcomes. So, the recommended path is to attend at least some in-person meetings where you can genuinely connect with others." Read more →

New Podcast: Elevating Black Women's Behavioral Health and Support Needs 

Sipping Tea for Black Women's Wellness is a new podcast series from See Her Bloom, a program of PHI’s Center for Collaborative Planning, that dives into Black women’s specific behavioral health needs and explores ways to improve Black women’s access to opioid use prevention and treatment resources for themselves, their families and their communities. By elevating the voices and perspectives of Black mothers, educators, advocates, behavioral health providers and faith leaders, Sipping Tea hopes to uncover strategies to better serve the Black community. Their most recent episode features a conversation with Javon Williams and Terena Small, who share their experiences losing someone due to opioid overdose. Both women share how they use their grief to prevent other young people from losing their lives and to empower families and communities to take action. Listen to the full episode →

Upcoming Webinars, Events & Trainings

Emergency Preparedness: Integrating Access into Business Resiliency & Adaptation Plans: Tomorrow, Thursday, November 13 | 12-1pm PT. Don't miss the final 2025 lunch & learn webinar from PHI’s Pacific ADA Center, hosted in collaboration with the California Commission on Disability Access. Speakers will provide information on how to maintain operational resilience while upholding accessibility during emergencies. The event will provide an overview of emergency preparedness considerations, the role of accessibility in business continuity and how temporary changes in business functions might impact access for customers and employees with disabilities. This webinar is intended for business owners, managers and professionals who work in operations, facilities or emergency preparedness. Join →

Lunch & Learn Series: Strategies to Support Mental Health & Resilience: Tomorrow, November 13, December 2 & 9 | 12-1pm PT | $15 per session. PHI's Cypress Resilience Project provides training to support the inherent resilience of individuals and communities who are managing trauma, experiencing grief and navigating mental health challenges. Their final lunch & learn series of 2025 will feature workshops now through the end of the year on a variety of topics, including de-escalating stressful situations, moral distress and how to repair and reconnect with loved ones. Learn more →

New Horizons and Opportunities for Recovery Housing: Tuesday, November 18 | 11am-12pm. PHI's Alcohol Research Group hosts the Studying Treatment & Addiction Recovery Residences (I-STARR) webinar series, which explores how to address challenges to providing and conducting research on medication for opioid use disorder in recovery housing. Despite its effectiveness as a recovery support and the significant interest in it among those in or seeking recovery, misconceptions about recovery housing have contributed to stigma and discrimination across all levels of society. This webinar reviews initiatives undertaken at the national level to support recovery housing and demonstrate its value. Join →

Building California's Addiction Treatment Access Networks: In-Person (Southern CA Region): Monday, November 17 | 10am-1:30pm PT | The California Endowment, 1000 Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA; Virtual: Wednesday, December 3 |  9:30-10am PT. PHI’s CA Bridge hosts virtual and in-person meetings to ensure every community in California is ready and able to provide addiction treatment to every person in need. CA Bridge Regional Collaboratives are suited for clinicians, nursing professionals, navigators, CHWs, substance use counselors, social workers and others looking to develop or actively support low-barrier medication-assisted treatment services within their region. These meetings offer opportunities to help establish connected, empowered local networks, including addressing regional needs, sharing best practices and in-depth networking and collaboration. Learn more →

2025 Rural ACEs Summit, "It Takes a Village: Building Systems of Care that Center Youth and Families": December 9-10 | Redding, CA | $250 regular rate, $225 group rate for three or more. The 4th Annual Rural ACEs summit–hosted by PHI's Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL) and its Northern ACEs Collaborative–will bring together change makers, partners, practitioners and community members from diverse backgrounds to share insights, discuss challenges and collaboratively explore and understand the ecosystem of care that supports youth and families in rural Northern California. This year’s theme will focus on strengthening behavioral health and justice systems for youth through integrated approaches that expand collective understanding of systems of care. Register →

More from PHI

PHI's PHIL Joins $22M Five-Year Merck Foundation Initiative: The newly launched Collaborative for Equity in Cardiac Care is aimed at enhancing access to high-quality, person-centered health care for people living with heart conditions in the U.S. PHI's Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL) is one of eleven grantees that will support the development and implementation of evidence-informed, comprehensive programs to improve health outcomes in communities where access to timely care for cardiovascular disease is a challenge. Read more →

Call for Speakers: 2026 Pacific ADA Center Virtual Conference: PHI's Pacific ADA Center invites proposals for presentations at its 2026 Virtual Conference, Beyond Compliance: Access, Equity and the ADA. This open call for speakers aims to broaden perspectives and highlight innovative work related to the Americans with Disabilities Act through engaging sessions that reflect current trends, best practices and practical applications of the ADA. Topics include healthcare, employment, digital accessibility and more. Submission deadline: Friday, November 14. Learn more →

Statement from the Public Health Institute on Federal SNAP Funding: Every day, PHI works with and in communities across this country and witnesses firsthand how federal food assistance programs sustain families. PHI applauds the governors and state legislators who have taken emergency action to bridge the gap created by federal inaction. But state resources cannot substitute for sustained federal commitment. SNAP is a federal program for a reason—hunger and food insecurity do not respect state boundaries, and millions of Americans depend on consistent, reliable access to quality nutrition. Read the full statement →

Factsheet: Mobilizing Community Investment for Health Payers: Where a person lives—their zip code—often has a greater impact on health outcomes than their genetic code. For health payers, this reality underscores the importance of looking beyond clinical care to the broader social, economic and environmental factors that influence health and well-being. A new factsheet from PHI’s Build Healthy Places Network highlights how health payers and community developers, by aligning resources and priorities, can drive investment in the vital conditions that shape health and well-being. Read the factsheet →

We're Hiring

PHI is dedicated to promoting health, well-being and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. Join us:  

• Health Educator I: San Fransico Bay Area, CA (Remote). The Health Educator I will work for the SAMHSA.CSAT funded project, Flourish2 Project, providing Motivational Enhancement Intervention sessions to reduce substance abuse and HIV risk behaviors, and refer participants to appropriate community-based organizations and health care services.
• Business Analyst I: Remote, USA. The Business Analyst I at C/NET Solutions is responsible for providing project management and coordinating the installation of CNExT and CAS for both existing and new C/NET Solutions customers. This includes coordinating the conversion of cancer registry data, CAS customizations projects and other customer projects.

See all current opportunities →

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