State-Level Recovery Advocacy 101
Join us for a crash course in legislative advocacy for substance use disorder at the state level. This training covers the process of how a bill becomes law, tips for delivering effective public testimony, and essential strategies for supporting recovery communities nationwide.
Hosted by the AMERSA Advocacy Committee and presented by Courtney Gary-Allen and Tess Parks of Maine Recovery Advocacy Project.
Monday, June 17th from 5:30-6:30pm EST
Courtney Gary-Allen is the Organizing Director for the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project and has helped to pass countless pieces of legislation focused on addressing the opioid crisis, including the strongest Good Samaritan Law in the Nation. Before this work, Courtney interned in Senator King’s DC office and helped open the first recovery residences in her community. She currently serves as an At-Large City Councilor for the City of Augusta, ME and is a person in long-term recovery from substance use.
Tess Parks moved to Portland, Maine in 2014 to begin her journey in long-term recovery from substance use disorder. She has worked in a variety of different fields, including behavioral health support, municipal economic development, and public education. Having a lifelong passion for social justice and advocacy, Tess completed her master’s degree in Policy, Planning, and Management from the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service. In her current role, she is a Policy Organizer with Maine Recovery Advocacy Project (ME-RAP), working on grassroots organizing, legislative campaigns, and civic engagement.
This webinar is free to attend, but registration is required.
The ADA and its Applications for People with Substance Use Disorder-Advocacy Tools for Common Clinical Scenarios Encountered by Clinicians
Clinicians frequently care for patients with substance use disorder (SUD), but, unfortunately, this task can be complicated by barriers to care. The Department of Justice has identified SUD as a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and therefore discrimination against a patient based on a diagnosis of SUD violates the ADA.
This webinar was hosted by AMERSA’s Advocacy Committee and presented by Anna-Maria South, MD and Rebekah Joab.
Transitional Age Youth and Substance Use Webinar Series
AMERSA partnered with the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network (ATTC) and NORC at the University of Chicago to bring a series of virtual events and recorded webinars examining special topics for working with adolescents and transitional age youth that relate to substance use and mental health conditions.
The goal of this series was to provide evidence-based and cutting-edge information on substance use prevention and intervention to an interprofessional audience of behavioral health practitioners for working with adolescents and transitional age youth (18 – 25).
Digital Mental Health and Addiction Interventions for Adolescents, Young Adults and Families
Substance Use Disorders: Appreciating the Challenges of Minority Youth
Who? What? Where? Why? Clinical Sites for Transitional Age Youth Addiction Treatment
Substance Use Interventions for Adolescents and Transitional Age Youth
Substance Use in Adolescents and Transitional Age Youth: Justice Involvement and Homelessness
The SBIRT Model: Assessing Alcohol and Substance Use Among LGBTQ+ Populations
To receive a CEU, CME, or a certificate of attendance for this webinar, please visit https://lgbtqequity.org/learn/session-recordings/
Nothing About Us Without Us – a Youth Panel Discussion
Nothing About Us Without Us – a Youth Panel Discussion
with audio captioning
Series Objectives
- Describe the transition from adolescence to adulthood, with a special focus on transitional age youth (18 – 25) and the specific health, substance use, and mental health issues they face.
- Explore specific interventions to support adolescents and transitional age youth with substance use and mental health disorders including risk mitigation strategies including the role of family and positive social supports.
- Examine special issues adolescents and transitional age youth with substance use disorders (SUDs) face such as homelessness and/or sexual exploitation.
- Identify technology-based interventions effective with adolescents and transitional age youth for prevention and treatment of SUDs and explore promising interventions such as texting and social media-based interventions.
- Describe issues facing LQBTQI and underrepresented minority adolescents and transitional age youth with SUDs
- Engage with youth in discussions on issues related to substance use and mental health facing adolescents and transitional age youth.
- Explore three clinical practices that work to prevent or reduce substance use with adolescents and transitional age youth.