Opioid epidemic is focus of EVMS Mental Health Summit
The third annual EVMS Mental Health Summit, “Mental Health Partners: Pausing to Address the Opioid Crisis in Hampton Roads,” will take place Tuesday, May 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Lester Hall. The event is co-presented by the M. Foscue Brock Institute for Community and Global Health at EVMS and EVMS Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
“The opioid epidemic is one of the greatest public-health crises our community has ever faced,” says Cynthia Romero, MD (MD ’93), Director of the Brock Institute. “By convening the region’s mental-health providers and stakeholders around this issue, we can capitalize on each other’s strengths and develop a coordinated approach to solutions.”
Morning sessions include “Addressing Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder in Veterans,” presented by Jennifer Burden, PhD, Deputy National Program Director, Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs, Veterans Administration Medical Center; and “Virginia’s Opioid Addiction Crisis: A Public Health Emergency,” by Heidi Kulberg, MD, MPH, Director of the Virginia Beach Department of Health and Co-Chair of the Hampton Roads Heroin Working Group.
Following those presentations, four breakout sessions will task small groups with drafting a white paper on transforming the system to address mental health and substance abuse; addressing ways to dispel the stigma of mental health and substance abuse; gathering a comprehensive listing of community resources; and identifying a single access point for care.
Afternoon sessions will feature two concurrent workshops on aspects of Virginia’s new Addiction, Recovery & Treatment Services (ARTS) program. Those workshops will be facilitated by Ashley Harrell, LCSW, Policy and Planning Specialist, Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS), and Kate Neuhausen, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Virginia, DMAS.
To attend, RSVP to brockinstitute@evms.edu by Friday, May 5.