Substance Abuse/Drugs

SAMHSA Publication & Webinar on 9/7/2023 2pm – 3pm (I believe about 4,000 people registered and about 2,000 joined). I promoted the release of the publication I contributed to as a Technical Expert Panelist as a BJA Visiting Fellow
Details: During my fellowship, I contributed as a Technical Expert Panelist to a new reentry guide that SAMHSA is publishing this year, and SAMSHA is inviting me to participate in the webinar that will promote the release of this publication.

Dr. Lori Post presented Ohio River Valley Corridor drug data to the State of Ohio government at the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC)/Quarterly Emerging Drugs Scientific Working Group (EDSWG) meeting. Information was presented about hot spots of opioid overdose death rates and compared to hot spots of drug violation arrests within the state of Ohio and across state borders. This data was broken down and compared by county, state, region, and the United States as a whole.

Illinois Public Media was interested in knowing what substances were detected in toxicology results in people who die by suicide via firearms or hanging/strangulation. Dr. Lori Post was interviewed for the segment that aired on January 11, 2024. Data was analyzed to determine what substances were more likely to be found in toxicology testing in suicides by different mechanisms. For example, in toxicology results from suicides by firearms, it was more likely to find positive results for stimulants.

TTA request was received from ChristianaCare in Delaware. Altarum hosted a virtual call to address their concerns and questions.

AARP requested information regarding older adult drug use, including drug overdose deaths by age, drugs involved, and precipitating events. They were provided with four figures showing crude death rate by age cohort and acceleration percent by age cohort and an interview was conducted. AARP wants to provide outreach to older adults that may be at risk for drug use/overdose.

Altarum staff attended, and exhibited a poster presentation at, the Camden Coalition 2023 Behavioral Health Confernce.

Altarum staff attended, and exhibited at, the 2023 COSSUP National Forum.

Topics presented included the following topics:

Peer Recovery Support Specialist Networking Opportunity Led by Altarum.

Increasing Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS) Retention Through Promoting Organizational Wellness.

Promising Practices for Implementing Peer Recovery Support Services into Deflection Programs.

Best Practices for Implementing Peer Recovery Support Services with Alaska Native Populations.

This is an open office hour for grantees to ask questions, network, and request TA.

This is an open office hour for grantees to ask questions, network, and request TA.

Video conference call to update grantees about our most recent and upcoming activities, as well as provide opportunity for grantees to correspond directly with Altarum.