The Polk County Board of Supervisors read and signed a proclamation recognizing September 2025 as Recovery Month in Polk County.

Cindy West, who identified herself as being in recovery and representing Full Circle Recovery Community Center in Des Moines and Polk County, thanked the board and said recovery “is possible and it happens every day in our community.” West said peer recovery support organizations provide hope, connection and sustainable paths to recovery for family members and neighbors.

Mike Madden, who identified himself as representing Kingdom Living and RISE Recovery Center and as being in long-term recovery, thanked the board for funding that supports local recovery organizations and described RISE’s outreach since opening in May 2023. “Since they opened up its doors in May 2023, 81,000 recovery touch points have happened in that building,” Madden said. He described plans funded by recent grants to target recovery coaching in BIPOC communities, start a family program and bring recovery coaching into workplaces and job sites.

The board signed the proclamation and invited the speakers forward for photos following their remarks. The proclamation text read that Polk County recognizes recovery as a process that improves health and wellness and that Recovery Month promotes evidence-based recovery practices and reduces stigma; the proclamation text was read into the record and signed.

No formal vote beyond signing the proclamation is recorded in the transcript.