Dear SMART Volunteers:
SMART Recovery USA leaders and staff are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and taking action to protect meeting participants and volunteers from exposure to the virus. Our community has responded in an exemplary manner by putting meetings on hiatus while moving others to online platforms.
As COVID-19 cases and deaths are peaking, we want to ensure that our community is taking all measures required by public health authorities. Toward that end, the SMART Recovery USA Board of Directors unanimously approved the following motion:
Recognizing that each state and locality has different regulations at present about face-to-face meetings, we require all SMART volunteers to:
1) Follow all local, state, and federal laws and regulations to determine whether face-to-face meetings are acceptable.
2) Transition to online meetings when face-to-face meetings are not acceptable (and to request assistance from the national office if needed).
3) Keep the national office updated about the status of your meeting.
In less than four weeks, the U.S. SMART community has moved upwards of 400 local meetings online. We have increased the number of meetings on our national website to more than 60 per week, up from 40 at the start of 2020. These online meetings sustain valuable support for untold thousands of individuals and families across America.
Our efforts have increased awareness of SMART through coverage in the news media.
We thank everyone in the SMART community for your resilient and steadfast commitment to our cause. In the words of French philosopher Jean de La Bruyere: “Out of difficulties grow miracles.”
Take care and be safe,
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