Welcome to the Hospitals & Institutions Subcommittee page!
The Hospitals & Institutions (H&I) Subcommittee of the Red River Area Service Committee is a group of NA members who believe in the concept: ‘to assure that no addict seeking recovery need ever die without having had the chance to find a better way of life, and from this day forward may we better provide the necessary service.’ We also believe ‘that an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way of life.’”​
What Is an H&I Meeting?
The purpose of an H&I meeting is to carry the NA message to addicts who do not have full access to regular Narcotics Anonymous meetings. These presentations, except in longer-term facilities, are intended to introduce attendees to the basics of the NA program.
In order to form a clear understanding of an H&I meeting, it is important to learn about our service structure. An H&I meeting is generally a service provided by an area service committee’s H&I subcommittee. 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.
How Do 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.
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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 or 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.
Why Do I Get Involved?
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.”1 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. We hope that this pamphlet will encourage you to get involved with H&I service and experience these rewards for yourself!
1 Basic Text, p. 65