Hospitals & Institutions

Welcome to the Hospitals & Institutions Subcommittee page!

Many Narcotics Anonymous members have found Hospitals and Institutions (H&I) service to be an important part of their personal recovery. Our members, who actively participate in H&I service, are very important resources in our fellowship. A commitment to H&I service is one of the many ways to become involved with the NA service structure and help us feel a part of our fellowship.

We know that active addiction leads to jails, institutions, and death. Also, NA’s primary purpose is to carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers. It is not surprising that carrying the NA message of recovery into hospitals and institutions is one of our priorities. NA members have consistently supported this belief by forming Hospitals and Institutions committees around the world.

Still, some NA members have been reluctant to become involved in H&I service because they have never been incarcerated, arrested, or institutionalized. However, with our personal experience and proper preparation, all of us are uniquely qualified to carry our message of recovery.

What is an H&I Presentation?

The purpose of an H&I presentation is to carry the message of recovery to addicts who do not have full access to regular Narcotics Anonymous meetings. H&I meetings, except for those in long-term facilities, are intended to introduce those addicts in attendance to the basics of the NA program. These meetings occur in hospitals, treatment centers, correctional facilities, and adolescent institutions. Rather than being an NA group, it is vital that an H&I meeting always be held under the direction of an H&I subcommittee.

Service Positions

The H&I Committee is comprised of the following positions:

Chairperson
Vice-Chairperson
Secretary
Literature Distributor
Panel Coordinator
Panel Leaders
Panel Members

For more information on this committee’s service positions and responsibilities, please see our MASC Policy.

Why Should I Get Involved?

An area H&I subcommittee is the center for planning and organization. This is the ideal place to start getting involved! The first thing to do is to show up at an area H&I subcommittee meeting and attend an orientation for new and interested members. These orientation meetings help members become familiar with the information and clean time requirements necessary for service in H&I. At these meetings, members are selected to carry our message into facilities. Usually, the next step is to attend an H&I meeting as an observer. Through this process members gain a basic understanding of H&I service and decide on a level of involvement.

Hospitals and institutions service offers addicts an opportunity to demonstrate gratitude, fulfill responsibility, and share the NA message without expectations. It is also an effective tool that helps us stay clean and keeps us coming back. The H&I message is the same as the NA message: “That an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live.”

The gift we share is hope and freedom from active addiction through the program of Narcotics Anonymous. Any NA member who wants to carry this message is encouraged to get involved with H&I service. There are many ways to serve in Narcotics Anonymous, and many of us have found H&I service to be the most rewarding aspect of our recovery.

How Do I Get Involved?

The H&I subcommittee facilitates orientations on a regular basis. Everyone who would like to serve with H&I must go through orientation, and there is no clean time requirement to be oriented. Please contact us come our next subcommittee meeting for more information about orientation. If you have already been through orientation, it is important to remember that the panel leader for the facility coordinates the panel members who attend the meetings. Do not show up at a facility for an H&I meeting without communicating with the panel leader first.

It is recommended that our members attend their first H&I meetings as observers. H&I meetings are different from regular NA meetings and observing can give the member a clearer picture of how H&I meetings are conducted. You must have 90 days clean and have been through orientation to attend an H&I meeting as an observer. At 6 months clean a member, who has been through orientation, is eligible to fully participate in an H&I meeting.

Facilities currently served by the Mountain Area H&I Subcommittee

Turning Point, Johnson City, TN: Men’s Inpatient
Turning Point, Johnson City, TN: Women’s & Men’s Detox Center
Turning Point, Johnson City, TN: Women’s & Men’s Outpatient Program
Willow Ridge, Johnson City, TN: Women’s Inpatient
Laurels Recovery Center, Lebanon, VA: Women’s & Men’s Inpatient
Woodridge Psychiatric Hospital, Johnson City, TN: Women’s & Men’s Inpatient
Tennessee Dept. of Corrections – Day Reporting Center: Women’s & Men’s Outpatient
Veterans Administration, Mountain Home, TN – Women’s & Men’s Inpatient
Washington County, TN Detention Center – Women’s & Men’s

Resources for H&I Subcommittee Members

H&I Handbook: Developed based on extensive input from H&I subcommittees throughout the fellowship, this handbook contains material and suggestions that will work in most H&I settings.

H&I Basics: This pamphlet contains a simplified version of the information contained in the H&I Handbook and has been recently updated to reflect current service practices.

IP#20 – H&I and the NA Member

MANA H&I Policy

MANA H&I Orientation Package

MANA H&I Monthly Report for H&I Chair

H&I Lit Order Form for H&I Literature Chair

MANA H&I Panel Leader Report for Panel Leaders

H&I Panel Lit Request Form for Panel Leaders

Sample H&I Meeting Format for Panel Leaders

H&I Flyer for you to post at your home group

Washington County, TN Detention Center background check form