The peer facilitated Medication Assisted Recovery Services (MARS) project is a collaboration between the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA) and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM), Division of Substance Abuse (DoSA). MARS is located in the Bronx, New York and will provide peer recovery support services to patients at the medical college’s Methadone Maintenance Treatment program. The organized provision of peer recovery support services is completely new within medication assisted treatment (MAT), as is the collaboration of a peer-based recovery community organization (NAMA) with a major treatment provider (AECOM).

The overall goal of MARS is to design, implement, and evaluate selected peer-delivered recovery support services that will complement the existing treatment program. The MARS project will provide persons whose recovery is assisted by medication with the tools they need to be more effective facilitators of their own recovery.

MARS services will include: training in medication-assisted recovery, a mix of culturally appropriate support groups, drug and alcohol free social activities celebrating recovery, and peer leader training and mentoring. A peer council will help to direct the development of the project.