Center for Families Impacted by Substance Use
Overview
Receiving official designation from the Florida Board of Governors in 2022, the USF Center for Families Impacted by Substance Use (USF CFISU) aims to organize a platform for faculty and learners to promote research, innovation, and high-quality clinical care for families impacted by substance use. The Center is a recognized entity to increase collaborations across USF's clinical departments, colleges, and community partners with unrecognized potential due to their previously siloed structure.
The importance of language is paramount to our philosophy; we understand that the use of the word “families1” represents the many structures and compositions of those that care for patients we see, and the intentional use of the word "impacted" captures the broad experiences related to substance use:
- The challenges of active substance use within a family.
- The barriers to long-term recovery.
- The consequences of stigma and discrimination.
Furthermore, we recognize that there are individuals without a substance use diagnosis who may be directly or indirectly impacted. There are opportunities to improve overall patient-centric care and decrease barriers, and for that we are here. For example, others affected may include:
- Individuals being treated by a medical provider to care for chronic or complex medical conditions.
- Individuals caring for children with prenatal exposure to medications or substances.
- Individuals supporting someone with substance use or in their recovery journey.
Regardless of the connection, each individual is an integral part of the mission: to improve families' and communities' health and wellness.
For more information about the Center for Families Impacted by Substance Use, Research or Academic questions, or if you're interested in learning more:
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1Definition of “Family” as adopted by the American Academy of Pediatrics- informed by the New Mexico Coalition for Children
Families are large, small, extended, nuclear, multigenerational. They can include one or more children, and one or more parents/primary caregivers/guardians, who range in age from adolescents to senior citizens. They might be extended families, foster, adoptive, kinship or blended families. Parents can be married or unmarried couples, single parents, or parents who live in the same household or apart. Parents may be opposite-sex, same-sex couples, or can belong to a different racial or ethnic group than the child.
The family unit can be relatively static, or it can be quite changeable. In some families, intergenerational parenting occurs when grandparents and/or other family members assume a central role if the birth parents are not present or not capable of caring for their children because of extended work-related absences, illness or death, substance use, etc.
Although it has predictable patterns, the family reshapes its daily life and support systems with the birth of each child in a way that fits with its unique mix of strengths and challenges. For families experiencing difficult situations, such as poverty, homelessness, divorce, substance use, or illness, resilience varies and is not always predictable. However, common to all families is that the parents want the best for their children and significant change or stress that affects one family member affects all members.