Communities across the country are employing innovative approaches to counter the rising number of overdose deaths. This webinar will introduce nontraditional responses to overdoses with a focus on the use of peer support specialists – individuals with lived experience who are themselves in recovery. Peer support specialists engage with survivors soon after their overdoses and remain an important resource to the individuals in navigating life in their communities, including facilitating access to treatment and other services.
Panelists will discuss the value and impact of peers in helping individuals safely return to and remain in their communities following an overdose. Participants will learn directly from programs that are utilizing peers as a key component of their overdose responses.
Specific areas of focus will include:
- Describing the role and value of peer support specialists in effectively supporting overdose survivors.
- Identifying critical elements of peer support.
- Identifying steps to develop a community peer support network.
- Outlining ongoing peer support programs and their outcomes to date.
The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program is proud to feature this webinar in September as part of its spotlight on National Recovery Month and to show wholehearted support for those beginning or continuing their personal recovery journeys.
Presenters
- Krista Brucker, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine; and
- Greg Perry, Director of Recovery Support Services, Recovery Point West Virginia.